PAK W vs SA W | Marizanne Kapp and Tazmin Brits power South Africa to eight-wicket win in first ODI

‌South Africa Women made a winning start to their ODI tour of Pakistan with an eight-wicket win at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday. Marizanne Kapp and Tazmin Brits added an unbeaten 216 runs, a record third-wicket partnership for South Africa Women in ODIs, to help the side go past the target of 256 with 10 balls to spare.

After opting to bat first, Pakistan lost opener Shawaal Zulfiqar for a three-ball duck in the second over, with the score reading just three. But fellow opener Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin rebuilt the hosts’ innings, adding 147 runs for the second wicket in 175 balls. Muneeba got to her fifty in 65 balls, with a boundary in the 20th over, while Sidra took 63 balls to complete the honours two overs later. But Muneeba departed for a 94-ball 76, which included 11 fours, with more than 19 overs still to play. Number four Aliya Riaz was unlucky to miss out, after a promising start, as she got run out for 33. Though Sidra completed her century at the end of the 44th over, the home side could not accelerate towards the end of the innings. They scored just 29 runs in the last six overs, ending at 255/4 with Sidra hitting 12 fours during her unbeaten 121 off 150 balls. Pacer Ayabonga Khaka picked up 2/36 for the Proteas, while medium pacer Tumi Sekhukhune got a wicket.

The South African chase also started shakily as they lost captain Laura Wolvaardt cheaply in the second over before Sune Luus also departed in the last over of the powerplay, with the score reading 43. However, opener Brits and Kapp ensured that the visitors did not lose another wicket in the match, taking the side past the post with their unbeaten association. Kapp was the aggressor among the two, smashing 13 fours and two sixes during her 128-ball 121, while Brits played the perfect foil. She milked the Pakistan attack to get to her third hundred this year, remaining unbeaten on 101 from 121, with only nine fours in her innings. Kapp closed off the match in style with a boundary off Sadia Iqbal in the penultimate over as the Proteas ended at 259/2.