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The Test series between South Africa and Pakistan men may be neck-and-neck, but on the evidence of the first two matches of this one-day series, the women’s teams are ill-matched.

South Africa completed a comprehensive 84-run victory at Pretoria for the second time in a week and are on course to take the five-match series in the next match on Wednesday. This match at Harlequins was a carbon copy of the last — South Africa racking up over 200 and then grabbing early wickets to puncture Pakistan’s confidence, leaving them unable to recover.

Shabnin Ismail’s double-wicket strike in the tenth over left Pakistan deflated and they failed to regain any momentum. Always up against it, the pressure became too much for them and although South Africa failed to dislodge all of them, their run rate was far too slow from the outset.

Cri-Zelda Brits again contributed a useful score for South Africa — taking her captaincy responsibilities seriously — and made a fifty as South Africa put on 226. Daleen Terblanche and Susan Benade also chipped in with forties.

Pakistan, though, will take heart from their captain’s contribution, Urooj Mumtaz taking five wickets (although her economy rate was 5.85), and from the fact that they took all ten wickets. Scores: South Africa Women 226 in 49.5 overs (M Terblanche 49, C Z Brits 54, S M Benade 41; Urooj Mumtaz 5-40). Pakistan Women 142-8 in 50 overs (Sajjida Shah 34*).
Source:The News