South Africa women 148 for 2 (Wolvaardt 74*, Lee 40) beat Pakistan women 147 (Nahida 37, Maroof 32, Klaas 3-27, Sekhukhune 2-20) by eight wickets
A clinical bowling effort, headlined by Masabata Klaas' 39th-over hat-trick, was followed by Laura Wolvaardt's 14th 50-plus score in ODIs as South Africa trumped Pakistan by eight wickets to level their three-match Women's Championship series at 1-1.
The first game of the series was all about Sana Mir, the veteran offspinner taking 4 for 11 to shoot the home side out for 63 in 22.5 overs before the chase was wrapped up in 14.4 overs. Pakistan started this game well too, Nahida Khan and Sidra Ameen giving them a first-wicket stand of 50. But it slipped from their grasp after that, and they were bundled for 147. With Wolvaardt in charge, South Africa pulled off the chase in 36.4 overs.
There's that hat-trick wicket & celebration for #MasabataKlaas. What a moment! #ProteasWomen #WeAreMore #AlwaysRising@PitchVision pic.twitter.com/fXw1f7Lya6
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) May 9, 2019
Lizelle Lee and Wolvaardt had both been sent back inside two overs in the first game, but this time they made amends in style. Lee was the more aggressive of the two, as she usually is, scoring 40 in 43 balls, but she was also the first to fall, caught at the long-off boundary by Mir off Umaima Sohail.
Andrie Steyn couldn't hang around for too long, Nashra Sandhu catching her off Mir for 9, but Wolvaardt and captain Sune Luus kept things steady after that, the opener hitting an unbeaten 74 in 104 balls, and Luus ending on a 46-ball 21 not out.
Batting first after losing the toss, Pakistan got a good start courtesy Nahida and Sidra. But Nahida, who was scoring at upwards of a run a ball, was sent back by Tumi Sekhukhune for 37, with the scoreboard reading 50 in the 12th over, and the slowdown began.
Sidra (25 in 59 balls), Javeria Khan (20 in 35) and captain Bismah Maroof (32 in 49) all got starts, but couldn't really provide the innings with the thrust it needed. Sekhukhune sent back Sidra to finish with 2 for 20, and while Luus and Marizanne Kapp also picked up two wickets apiece, Klaas grabbed the limelight with three in three, accounting for Aliya Riaz, Umaima and Sidra Nawaz.
It was only the tenth hat-trick in women's ODI history and the second by a South African after Dane van Niekerk achieved it against West Indies in Basseterre in 2013.
