MULTAN: Pakistan defeated South Africa by 13 runs in the second T20I at the Multan Cricket Stadium, levelling the three-match series 1-1.Nida Dar became the third Pakistani woman to reach 2,000 T20I runs, while captain Fatima Sana’s unbeaten 37 guided Pakistan to their highest T20I score of 181/4.
South Africa, who won the first T20I by 10 runs, were restricted to 168/4 despite a valiant unbroken 80-run partnership between Sune Luus (53 not out) and Chloe Tryon (30 not out).Pakistan’s opening pair, Gull Feroza and Muneeba Ali, set the tone with a 25-run stand in 3.2 overs before Gull fell for 10. Player-of-the-match Muneeba’s aggressive 45, laced with six fours and two sixes, and Sidra’s 28, including three fours and a six, propelled Pakistan to 74/2 in 10.2 overs.
Nida’s 29, featuring four boundaries, and Fatima’s unbeaten 37, which included three fours and two sixes, fueled Pakistan’s late surge. Aliya Riaz chipped in with 17 not out, smashing two fours and a six.Tumi Sekhukhune (2/30) was South Africa’s most successful bowler.
In response, South Africa lost Tazmin Brits (nine) early. Captain Laura Wolvaardt’s 36, adorned with five fours and a six, kept the visitors in contention before her departure in the ninth over.Anneke Bosch (24), with two fours and a six, and Nadine de Klerk (12), with two fours, fell soon after, leaving South Africa 88/4 in 13 overs.
Luus and Tryon’s fifth-wicket partnership narrowed the gap, with Luus striking six fours and a six and Tryon smashing five fours.Nashra Sundhu and Sadia Iqbal claimed two wickets each for Pakistan.“In the last match our performance was not up to the mark,” Muneeba said after the match. “The openers and top order batters did not fulfil what was required from them.
“We had really honest conversations and we decided that we needed to step up.“That’s the way we want to approach every game and we will try to play like this in the future as well,” the batter said pointing towards the aggressive approach.
Meanwhile, South African captain Wolvaardt said her team leaked extra runs, which became the difference between the two sides at the end.“There were a couple of lose deliveries and we conceded way too many extras as well, which didn’t help us.”The series decider will be played on Friday.
Meanwhile, a brilliant century from Kamran Ghulam, all-round heroics by Salman Ali Agha and a vital half-century by skipper Mohammad Rizwan helped Markhors beat Dolphins by 92 runs in the Champions One-Day Cup here at the Iqbal Stadium.
It was Markhors’ third win in as many matches, as they continued their domination in the tournament.Chasing a total of 285 runs, Dolphins succumbed to 192 in 43.5 overs. Salman, after contributing 49 runs with the bat in the first innings returned to take 3-34 in his 10 overs.
Earlier, Kamran Ghulam hit his second century of the tournament, accumulating 113 runs after walking into bat in the first over. He also shared a 122-run third-wicket partnership with skipper Rizwan (51 off 67, three fours and a six).
Kamran hit 12 fours and three sixes in the 110 balls he faced while Salman chipped in with three fours and one six in his 47-ball outing. The duo also shared a 71-run fourth-wicket partnership after Rizwan’s departure in 27th over.
Muhammad Imran’s 27 off 25 balls with the help of two massive sixes helped Markhors cross the 250-run mark. Zahid Mehmood remained unbeaten for 15 runs off 14 balls hitting one four.Faheem Ashraf took 4-50 while Mir Hamza returned with two wickets. Usman Qadir and Sameen Gul dismissed one batter each.
Dolphins, who opted to chase earlier in the day, found themselves reeling throughout the pursuit of 285-run target as they were reduced to 13-2 and then 99-5 when Saud Shakeel (41 off 56) top edged Salman to short fine leg. Asif Ali fought back with a half-century but it was not enough as he fell for 50 off 43 balls hitting three four and three sixes.
