Nida’s blazing knock in vain as SA women level series

BENONI, South Africa: A number of records were broken on Wednesday during the fourth Twenty20 International between Pakistan women and South Africa women, which the latter won by four wickets to level the five-match series 2-2.

Lizelle Lee scored a 26-ball 50 — the fastest half-century for South Africa in women’s T20Is — to set the tone for the 173-run chase, which they completed with four wickets and five deliveries to spare.

This despite Pakistan posting their second-highest T20I total of all time and Nida Dar blazing away to a fifty in 20 balls. Such was Lee’s dominance that when she was finally dismissed, she had scored 60 out of South Africa’s 74 runs at that point. She reached her half-century in style, smashing Aliya Riaz for four consecutive boundaries to take South Africa to 60-0 after the Powerplay.

Pacer Fatima Sana, who was dropped by Pakistan after going wicketless in the first T20I, made a strong comeback with figures of 3-27 in her four-over spell. She helped take the game to the final over with her middle-over scalps of Nadine de Klerk, Sune Luus and Mignon du Preez.

However, Sinalo Jafta and Shabnim Ismail remained unbeaten as the lower-middle order took South Africa over the line. Earlier in the day, a 37-ball 75 from Nida Dar set the tone for Pakistan. Her knock, laced with eight fours and three sixers, is the highest individual T20I score in Pakistan women’s T20I history.

Pakistan were reduced to 10-2 within five overs, but Nida struck a 106-run partnership with skipper Bismah Maroof (37) to lead the fightback. It is now Pakistan’s third-highest partnership in women’s T20I cricket. Aliya Riaz’s unbeaten 17-ball 35 gave the visitors the finishing impetus to take the total past 170. Shabnim was the pick of the South Africa bowlers, with figures of 2-22.