South Africa Down Pakistan To Kick Off Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 With Victory

Annerie Dercksen’s half-century and Marizanne Kapp’s three-wicket spell helped South Africa Women secure a tight two-wicket win over Pakistan in the 11th match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Chasing a target of 127 runs, South Africa had to work hard and reached the finish line with seven wickets down and just 19 balls remaining.

Dercksen led the chase with a quick 52 off 35 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes before she was dismissed by Tuba Hassan in the 11th over.

After her wicket, Nadine de Klerk kept South Africa on track with a solid 37 from 28 balls. She took the team close to victory before being dismissed by Pakistan women’s captain Fatima Sana.

The skipper led the bowling attack with an impressive spell, taking 3 wickets for just 16 runs. Meanwhile, Tuba Hassan and Sadia Iqbal picked up two wickets each, while Nashra Sandhu took one.

Talking about the first innings, Pakistan women’s captain Fatima Sana chose to bat first, but the plan did not work as the team could only reach 126/9 in their 20 overs.

The green shirts had a terrible start to their innings, as Marizanne Kapp struck early and removed both openers with only three runs on the board.

The middle order then disappointed badly, as no one took the responsibility to take the innings deep. Skipper Fatima Sana was the only lone fighter for Pakistan, as she scored a valiant 55 to give the team a modest total on the board. Unfortunately, it was still a below par score, as the Proteas chased it down in the second innings despite a few early hiccups.