Sune Luus valiant half-century effort was not enough to carry South Africa over the line as they lost by 13 runs to Pakistan Women in their second T20 International match at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Pakistan on Wednesday evening.
The SA loss means that Pakistan have levelled the three-match series 1-1.
The decider will be played on Friday at the same venue.
Luus notched up an unbeaten 53 runs off 29 balls but it was not enough for the visitors as they finished 168 for four.
Chasing 182, South Africa ran into trouble early on, when they lost Monday’s hero in the 10-run victory, half-centurion Tazmin Brits for just a mere nine runs to Sadia Iqbal.
With the score 12 for one and three overs in after Brits dismissal, the visitors found themselves in a tough position as Pakistan's bowling attack piled on the pressure and made it difficult for them to play their natural attacking games.
With SA’s backs against the wall, skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Annekke Bosch stepped up.
Sune Luus joins an exclusive club 🇿🇦⭐
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 18, 2024
She is the third @ProteasWomenCSA after Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp to score 1000 runs and take 50 wickets in WT20I cricket 👏💥
📺 Stream #SAWvPAKW on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw #HereForHer pic.twitter.com/Q0LwZwR3Pp
They help SA register 36 runs with the loss of one wicket in the first power play.
That was followed by standing applauses for the fifty partnership stand for the third wicket in the eight over.
But their brilliant stand was broken off in the same over by left arm spinner Nashra Sandhu who bowled Wolvaardt for 36 runs off 25 balls.
SA reached the innings drinks break in the 10th over at 70 for two.
In the following over, Iqbal came back and dismissed Bosch (24). Nadine de Klerk had a short stay in the crease for her 12 runs.
With eighty runs left to chase, SA reached their 100-run mark after 14 overs.
Luus and Chloe Tryon managed to notch up another 50-run partnership for SA and tried to close things in the dying overs but Pakistan's bowling attack stayed disciplined in their length and variations.
By the 18th over when SA reached 150 runs, the writing was already on the wall.
Tryon finished with a well played 30 runs off 16 balls.
🇵🇰 1-1 🇿🇦
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 18, 2024
Pakistan come back strong to level the T20I series in Multan 👏 pic.twitter.com/ahCD0dOwvV
Iqbal and Sandhu were the pick of the Pakistani bowlers with two wickets each.
Earlier in the evening, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana and Nida Dar’s 60-run stand off 38 balls helped her side reach 181 for four after 20 overs.
SA CHOSE TO BOWL FIRST
Pakistan openers Muneba Ali and Gull Feroza laid a strong foundation for the Asians up front with bat after the Proteas Women captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and chose to bowl.
The duo stood tall against SA opening bowling pair of Chloe Tryon and Ayanda Hlubi and went almost 10 runs an over in the first two.
Pakistan's fast-paced start forced Wolwaardt to bring in Tumi Sekhukhune to tighten up one end in the third over.
The medium pacer immediately did damage just five balls into her spell as she removed Feroza for 10 runs, caught by Nadine De Klerk at mid-wicket.
The Pakistan batters accelerated their tempo despite losing Feroza’s wicket.
They finished the first power play 45 for one. Sidra Amin and Ali continued to notch up easy runs as the SA bowling attack struggled with consistency. Annerie Dercksen clean-bowled the dangerous Ali five runs short of her half-century and broke the threatening partnership only a single short of 50 runs.
With Amin still at the crease together with Nida Dar, the home side reached 100 runs in the 12th over. Just a ball after the milestone, Amin (28) fell to Sune Luus, bowled after a failed attempted reverse sweep.
This is the moment where Suné Luus took her 50th WT20I wicket 🤩
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 18, 2024
📺 Stream #SAWvPAKW on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw #HereForHer pic.twitter.com/cpimsp7207
Luus became the third SA player after Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp to score 1000 runs and take 50 wickets in WT20I cricket.
Dar and Fatima Sana rebuilt the Pakistan innings with their fourth-wicket partnership. They helped Pakistan past the 150-run mark before Dar (29) became Sekhukhune's second scalp of the night. Sana finished with an unbeaten 37 runs off 23 balls while Aliya Riaz also scored a quick unbeaten 17 runs off seven deliveries.
Sekhukhune was the pick of the SA bowlers with figures of 2-30 while Luus and Dercksen took a wicket apiece.
PAKISTAN WOMEN: Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (w), Sidra Amin, Sadaf Shamas, Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana(C), Tuba Hassan, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig
SOUTH AFRICA WOMEN: Laura Wolvaardt(C), Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Anneke Bosch, Suné Luus, Chloé Tryon, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta(WK), Seshnie Naidu, Ayanda Hlubi, Tumi Sekhukhune
