Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl in their pivotal South Africa ICC Women’s World Cup encounter at the R. Pramedasa International Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
In a tournament affected by the monsoon rains, the weather in Colombo is overcast with a bit of rain expected later in the day.
Speaking at the toss, Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana said: “It looks like a good pitch for the bowlers and the weather is good so we’ll bowl first.”
Pakistan are unchanged since their last rained out encounter.
Going into their penultimate group match of the tournament, the Women in Green still have an outside chance of making the semi-finals despite still searching for their first win.
Bowler Rameen Shamim said on Monday that although the weather was out of their control, the team was trying their best to make the semi-finals.
Monsoon 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 Green Shirts 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.
South African pacer Masabata Klaas also alluded to the challenge Pakistan posed going into the encounter.
“Oh, obviously Pakistan is [a] strong team. We cannot just go there and think that we’re just going to walk in the park. But then one thing that’s going to work for us is to stick to basics and do what we’ve been doing from day one of the World Cup,” the right-arm medium pacer said.
She added that her side would not be taking the Green Shirts for granted.
The Proteas go into the clash with a result in a rain-affected encounter in Colombo against Sri Lanka — where they won by 10 wickets in a 20-over contest.
For Pakistan, their skipper Fatima’s form with the ball has been a positive going into this must-win encounter. The right-arm pacer has taken nine wickets at an outstanding average of 16 so far.
The Women in Green will also be looking for the weather to relent in the Sri Lankan capital, which caused their pre-match practice session to be moved indoors yet again — at an alternate venue near the Sinhalese Sports Club.
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.