Pakistan U19 Women aren’t ready to give up on the series just yet as they squared off against South Africa, winning the fourth game. The series now stands even at 2-2, with the fifth and final T20 holding the series decision.
Overcautious South Africa lost momentum
Opting to bat first, South Africa were too cautious against Pakistan’s bowling. None of the batters scored more than run-a-ball throughout the innings. By the time the innings reached the midway mark, only two wickets had fallen, but the score was a paltry 53.
This soon got to South Africa as they started losing wickets, mounting the pressure. Rozina Akram, who had been tough to pick for South Africa, then bagged two wickets in the 13th over. This further choked the run flow, though the visitors kept trying to hit a boundary an over.
The final three overs fetched 14 runs for South Africa as they lost three wickets. A 109-run target was what they ended with, which, even keeping Pakistan’s flimsy batting lineup in mind, seemed a tough ask to defend.
Fizza and Zoofishan refused to give up
Pakistan seemed in no hurry to wrap up the game. Their first wicket fell in the eighth over, and despite that, their score was 34. Openers Komal Khan and Ravail Farhan scored a total of six boundaries in the first eight overs, two out of which came in the eighth, which was also the first over that fetched runs in double figures.
This was followed by a phase that brought South Africa unexpectedly back into the game. Four wickets fell in 18 balls for just nine runs. The hosts were reeling at 43/4 by the end of the 11th over. It took captain Fizza Fiaz and Zoofishan Ayyaz some time to recover from the sudden outburst. But when they did, they decided to turn the game around. A troika of fours off Shreeya Subbiah gave the batters some impetus and they started taking more risks.
Fizza played the role of an anchor while Zoofishan kept going big. It ended with a six off Zoofishan’s bat to finish the game in Pakistan’s favour, with six wickets to spare, in the final over.
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