South Africa smashed Pakistan for 312 runs in their rain-curtailed ICC Women’s World Cup fixture at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday.
Play resumed at 5pm PKT after a two-hour-long stoppage due to rain, with the match being reduced to 40 overs a side.
After the early loss of opener Tazmin Brits for a duck, skipper Laura Wolvaardt led from the front for the Proteas — scoring 90 and combining with Sune Luus for a 118-run second wicket partnership.
Continuing after the break from 6-1 after two overs, the Pakistan bowlers were taken to all parts as South Africa reached their highest-ever score in the World Cup.
Having seen their last two matches being washed out, the Green Shirts need to score a mammoth 306 to win today to keep their chances alive of a last-four finish in the league stage.
Earlier, Fatima Sana’s side were back in the dugout as soon as the match began, after having won the toss and elected to field, as the heavens opened up.
Moments before the players took cover, the Pakistan skipper continued her knack of getting early breakthroughs when she got the dangerous Brits to nick an away swinger to Natalia Parvaiz at first slip.
Once play resumed, the run-fest started for the Proteas, with the hundred coming up in just 14.2 overs.
After Wolvaardt and Luus departed for 90 and 61 respectively, Marizanne Kapp and the dangerous Nadine de Klerk stepped up to take the scoring rate even higher.
De Klerk continued her fine hitting form in the World Cup — smashing 41 of just 16 deliveries laced with three sixes to take South Africa past the 300-run mark.
In a tournament affected by the monsoon rains, the weather in Colombo was overcast at the start of play.
Rains in Colombo have seen Pakistan’s last two matches end in washouts against England and New Zealand, respectively, costing the team a chance to pick up more points in their last-four push.
The washed-out New Zealand fixture on Saturday saw South Africa become the second team to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament, with the Green Shirts still searching for their first win.
The Women in Green played a home series in Lahore in September against the Proteas, where they lost the first two games before beating the visitors in the final ODI on a spin-friendly track.
They also faced each other in a World Cup practice match in Colombo ahead of the tournament itself, where the Proteas won by four wickets.
Pakistan need to win both their remainining and require other results to go their way in order to somehow sneak into the semi-finals.
Teams:
Pakistan: Omaima Sohail, Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (captain), Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, and Sadia Iqbal.
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Karabo Meso (wk), Nondumiso Shangase, Ayabonga Khaka, and Nonkululeko Mlaba.
