An outstanding Player of the Match performance from young talent Annerie Dercksen powered the Proteas Women to a commanding eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the third T20 International (T20I) in Multan on Friday, clinching a 2-1 series win.
Dercksen delivered a career-best 44* off 23 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes), alongside contributions from Laura Wolvaardt (45)and Anneke Bosch (46*), as South Africa successfully chased down Pakistan’s first-innings total of 153/5.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first for the second game running, the visitors were put on the back foot early as the Pakistani openers, led by Muneeba Ali (33), raced to 49/0 in the powerplay.
Following a good start by the batters, South Africa’s Suné Luus (1/18) made the initial breakthrough of the innings with Gull Feroza (18) caught and bowled before another smart piece of fielding from the deep by Tazmin Brits helped Luus complete the run out of the in-form Ali to see the hosts reach 76/2 after 10 overs.
The home side added a further 33 runs for the third wicket stand between Nida Dar (12) and Sidra Amin (37) before Nonkululeko Mlaba (1/31) found a way past Dar’s bat to pick up the Proteas’ third scalp of the morning.
After reaching the 15th over mark on 114/3, Amin and skipper Fatima Sana (27) combined well to aggressively propel Pakistan to 138/3 before Tumi Sekhukhune (1/26) and Chloé Tryon (1/23) removed both batters in quick succession.
The home side eventually ended on 153/5 in their allotted 20 overs, with Aliya Riaz (8*) and Tuba Hassan (6*) adding crucial runs on the board.
Required to bat at more than seven runs an over to secure the T20I series, the Proteas suffered an early setback with Brits stumped for a duck.
That dismissal brought Anneke Bosch (46*) to the crease alongside Laura Wolvaardt, with the former leading the charge from the onset with attacking shot options to help the tourists reach 57/1 in the first six overs, including a 50-run stand for the second wicket.
After reaching the halfway stage on 84/1, Bosch was forced to retire hurt after struggling with the extreme heat in Multan, bringing in a promoted Annerie Dercksen at four before South Africa lost their third wicket as Wolvaardt played a Hassan delivery back onto her stumps.
With the Proteas still needing 50 runs off 36 deliveries to win, the imposing Dercksen exploded at the crease, dispatching six fours and two sixes to record an unbeaten career-best score of 44* off 23 balls to help take the visitors to an eight-wicket triumph with nine balls to spare.
Cricket South Africa