Nadine de Klerk starred with ball-in-hand as she picked up career-best figures to help the Proteas Women to a six-wicket victory and an unassailable 2-0 series lead against Pakistan following the second One-Day International (ODI) at the National Stadium in Karachi on Monday.

The zestful all-rounder delivered a personal best of four for 32, alongside Masabata Klaas’ leading ODI return of three for 14, to help dismiss Pakistan for 168 all out before the visitors successfully reached the target within 34 overs as South Africa claimed a further two points on the ICC Women’s Championship table.

South Africa lost the toss and was asked to bowl first, a decision the hosts looked to regret as the away seamers hit their line and lengths from ball one.

After a build-up of pressure from the opening bowlers, Marizanne Kapp (0/33) and Ayabonga Khaka (2/21), de Klerk entered the fray in devastating fashion as she removed Muneeba Ali (4) and Sadaf Shamas (0) with her first two balls of the match before skittling out Sidra Ameen (12) with the initial ball of her second over.

Things went from bad to worse for Pakistan, as the experienced pair of Bismah Maroof (4) and Nida Dar (5) along with Sidra Nawaz (7) were the next to fall off the bowling of Khaka and Klaas to leave the home side reeling on 49/6 in the 18th over.

With Pakistan facing a major rebuild in order to post a defendable total, Aliya Riaz (53 off 83 balls; 3 fours) and Fatima Sana (69 off 87 balls; 10 fours) accepted the challenge with aplomb as the duo absorbed the pressure before transferring it back to the fielding side.

After reaching the halfway mark of the innings on 88/6, Riaz and Sana brought up their 50-run stand before the latter celebrated her maiden international half-century in the 37th over. Riaz soon joined her batting partner in celebration with her seventh career fifty as the two in-batters reached three figures for the seventh wicket.

The breakthrough finally came in the 43rd over through spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba (1/45) before Pakistan’s final three wickets were picked up in quick succession by Klaas and de Klerk, including two wickets in two balls from the former, to wrap up the innings as the host nation was restricted to 168 all out in 44.2 overs.

In their response, South Africa made another positive start with the bat as openers Laura Wolvaardt (15) and Tazmin Brits (45) raced to 40/0 in the seventh over before Wolvaardt lost her wicket to Sadia Iqbal (2/32).

Despite the setback, Brits and Lara Goodall (36) continued South Africa’s dominance at the crease to put on another 40 runs for the second wicket before Brits fell just five runs short of her half-century off the bowling of Nidar Dar (1/25).

With their tails up in the field, Pakistan, through Umm-e-Hani (1/32) and Iqbal, managed to keep the fight going for the home side as they removed Goodall and one of South Africa’s two centurions from the first ODI in Suné Luus (10) to leave the Proteas Women 115/4, still needing 54 runs for victory.

With two new batters on the park in Marizanne Kapp (29*) and de Klerk (24*), South Africa made light work of the remaining runs as the pair combined for a 50-run, fifth-wicket partnership to bring a convincing end to the chase and secure the all-important triumph to seal the series.

Tonight’s win and the maximum four points from the opening two ODIs against Pakistan have helped catapult the Proteas to fifth place on the ICC Women’s Championships standings, with five wins out of five, en route to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.

The third and final ODI between South Africa and Pakistan gets underway on Thursday, 14 September from 15h30 local time (12h30 SAST) at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Fixtures – South Africa Tour to Pakistan 2023/24:

ODI Series:

Thursday, 14 September 2023 @ 12h30 SAST – 3rd ODI – Pakistan vs South Africa (National Stadium, Karachi)