Tag: South Africa

LAHORE: Pakistan opening batter Sidra Amin on Tuesday reached a significant milestone during the match against South Africa by accumulating 2000 runs in One Day International (ODI) cricket.

The 33-year-old batter achieved the feat in the opening ODI of the three-match series against South Africa here at the Gaddafi Stadium.

She joined the likes of Javeria Khan and Bismah Maroof after tapping Marizanne Kapp’s delivery for a single on the fourth ball of the 16th over of Pakistan’s innings.

Most runs for Pakistan in Women’s ODIs

Bismah Maroof – 3369 runs in 136 matches

Javeria Khan – 2885 runs in 116 matches

Sidra Amin – 2099* runs in 75 matches

Nida Dar – 1690 runs in 112 matches

Pakistan set South Africa a 256-run target, thanks to a solid second-wicket partnership between Sidra and Muneeba Ali.

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The duo crafted a composed stand of 147 from 175 balls, which took Pakistan into a strong position. Sidra Amin scored 12 boundaries in her classy knock.

Notably, this was Pakistan’s third-highest partnership in ODIs, surpassing the previous record of 143, set against Sri Lanka in 2022. Notably, Sidra was part of all record stands.

Highest partnerships for Pakistan in Women’s ODIs

Sidra Amin and Muneeba Ali – 221 against Ireland in 2022

Sidra Amin and Muneeba Ali – 147 against South Africa in 2025

Sidra Amin and Bismah Maroof – 143 against Sri Lanka in 2022

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LAHORE: Marizanne Kapp and Tazmin Brits’ sublime centuries propelled South Africa to a comprehensive win over Pakistan in the opening match of the One Day International (ODI) series here at the Gaddafi Stadium.

South Africa chased down the 256-run target in 48.2 overs, losing just two wickets in the process.

The Proteas had a poor start as they lost skipper Laura Wolvaardt for just four in the second over.

Pakistan mounted further pressure with another wicket in the last over of the powerplay. Sune Luus, who made 30 from 35, was trapped lbw by Rameen Shamim.

As a result, South Africa were 43-2 in 9.4 overs.

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However, Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp put on a record stand of 216 runs, which took the game away from Pakistan. The duo partnership was the highest for South Africa on the third wicket.

Tazmin Brits scored 101* off 121 balls with the help of nine fours, whereas Marizanne Kapp made 121 from 128 deliveries with the aid of 13 fours and two sixes.

Earlier, Top-order batter Sidra Amin’s unbeaten 121 off 150 balls lifted Pakistan to a strong total.

After opting to bat first, Pakistan amassed 255 for the loss of four wickets in their allocated 50 overs.

Pakistan lost their opener Shawaal Zulfiqar for a duck only in the second over. However, Sidra Amin and Muneeba Ali forged a strong 147-run partnership on 175 balls, which steadied Pakistan’s innings.

The stand eventually culminated in 30.5 overs with Muneeba’s wicket. She departed after making 76 from 94 balls– an innings laced with 11 fours.

Meanwhile, Sidra continued from the other end and stitched another crucial partnership of 68 runs with Aliya Riaz. She was run out after making 33 with the help of five fours. The duo’s promising stand helped Pakistan surpass 200.

However, South Africa made a strong comeback in the last phase of the innings, restricting Pakistan from going big.

Sidra Amin, who remained unbeaten, scored 12 boundaries in her classy knock.

For South Africa, Ayabonga Khaka remained the pick of the bowlers, picking up two wickets in her nine overs.

For context, the three-match One Day International (ODI) series between Pakistan women and South Africa women serves as a dress rehearsal for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, scheduled to begin at the end of this month in India and Sri Lanka.

The mega-event will be co-hosted by the above-mentioned countries under the hybrid model, with Green Shirts playing all their fixtures in Colombo.

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LAHORE: South Africa women’s team captain Laura Wolvaardt hailed Pakistan spinners as a real challenge ahead of their One Day International (ODI) series opener, scheduled to begin tomorrow.

Ahead of the pre-match press conference, Laura shed light on their preparations ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

“This series will be very beneficial for us. The Pakistan team is quite strong in home conditions,” she remarked.

Regarding conditions, she mentioned hot weather in Pakistan and mentioned Pakistan spinners as a big threat to the Proteas.

“It’s very hot in Pakistan, we’re trying to understand the conditions. We have lost in the knockout matches in the last few ICC World Cups, but this time we are mentally prepared to win,” Laura Wolvaardt said.

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“It will definitely be a challenge to face Pakistan’s spinners,” she stated.

It is pertinent to mention that South Africa and Pakistan will play three ODI matches here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, before heading into the ICC Women’s World Cup.

The ODI series between the two teams will be played from September 16 to September 22.

Fatima Sana, who represented Pakistan in the previous edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, will lead the side for the first time in the mega event.

The opening match of the World Cup will begin with co-hosts India and Sri Lanka facing each other in Guwahati on September 30.

Pakistan women’s cricket team will play all their group-stage matches at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

Should Pakistan qualify for the 29 October semi-final and the 2 November final, then both the matches will take place in Colombo.

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LAHORE: Pakistan women’s team captain Fatima Sana expressed confidence in the team’s preparations, calling the One Day International (ODI) series against South Africa a vital preparatory ground for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2025.

Speaking in the pre-series press conference, Fatima mentioned the advantage of having a series before a mega event. She emphasized pitches and conditions and remained hopeful of giving their best.

“It is beneficial to have a series before the World Cup. Sri Lanka and Pakistan’s pitches are similar, we will try to perform well,” she said.

Regarding World Cup preparations, the captain remarked that the team comprising new and senior players is shaping up well. Fatima Sana also highlighted the advantage of playing in a single venue.

“Preparations for the World Cup are good. The team has a good rhythm, and the combination of seniors and juniors is good.”

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She also praised South Africa for playing excellent cricket while highlighting the advantage of playing on a single venue.

“South Africa has played good cricket, and we have also played good cricket. Playing at a venue in Sri Lanka will be an advantage,” she concluded.

For the unversed, Pakistan will play South Africa for a three-match ODI series before heading into the World Cup co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India.

The opening match of the World Cup will begin with hosts India facing Sri Lanka in Guwahati on September 30.

Fatima Sana, who represented Pakistan in the previous edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, will lead the side for the first time in the mega event.

Pakistan women’s cricket team will play all their group-stage matches at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

Should Pakistan qualify for the 29 October semi-final and the 2 November final, then both the matches will take place in Colombo.

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Phil Salt hit his highest T20I score and quickest century by an England batter in a T20 international as the hosts hammered South Africa by 146 runs to level their three-match series at 1-1 during a record-breaking evening at Old Trafford on Friday.

Opening batter Salt’s astounding 141 not out was the cornerstone of England’s mammoth 304-2.

It was the first time in a T20 international between two Test-playing nations a side had reached 300, with India having come closest previously, scoring 297-6 against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in 2024.

South Africa, faced with a colossal chase, unsurprisingly lost early wickets and were dismissed for 158 in under 17 overs, with skipper Aiden Markram’s 41 their top score.

An elated Salt told Sky Sports: “That was really good fun. A personal milestone, but the fact we got 300 and won by such a big margin, I can’t have asked for much more.”

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Only Zimbabwe, with 344 against the Gambia in October last year, and Nepal, who amassed 314 when playing Mongolia two years ago, have made more at this level.

Jofra Archer took 3-25 in three overs after the England express quick did not feature in the Proteas’ series-opening win in a rain-shortened match in Cardiff on Wednesday.

Salt’s 119, the existing England record at this level, had been at the heart of his country’s previous highest T20 total of 267-3 against the West Indies in Trinidad in December 2023.

The 29-year-old, out for a golden duck in Cardiff, turned the tables in style with a remarkable 60-ball innings featuring 15 fours and eight sixes on his Lancashire home ground.

His fourth T20 hundred — no other England batter has more than one — came off 39 deliveries.

It was also the quickest century in any format by an England batter, surpassing Liam Livingstone’s 42-ball effort in a T20 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in 2021.

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LAHORE: Pakistan women’s team underwent an intense five-hour training session on the final day of the preparatory cup ahead of the South Africa series, which is set to begin on 16 September.

South Africa women’s team is set to arrive in Pakistan tonight for a three-match One Day International (ODI) series in a bid to prepare for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, which will start at the end of this month in Sri Lanka and India.

The ODI series between the two teams will be played from September 16 to September 22.

On the final day of the training camp, women players underwent a five-hour practice session at the Gaddafi Stadium.

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Under the supervision of head coach Mohammad Wasim, the players carried out intensive batting, bowling, and fielding drills. They were also given tips for skill development.

At the High Performance Centre, the women cricketers took part in various fitness drills and fielding sessions, while batting and bowling practice was held at Gaddafi Stadium.

For context, Fatima Sana, who represented Pakistan in the previous edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, will lead the side for the first time in the mega event.

Pakistan women’s cricket team will play all their group-stage matches at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

Should Pakistan qualify for the 29 October semi-final and the 2 November final, then both the matches will take place in Colombo.

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CARDIFF: Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch took two wickets apiece as South Africa beat England by 14 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in a rain-marred first T20I here on Wednesday.

Bad weather reduced what should have been a 40-over contest at Sophia Gardens to just 12.5 in total.

England, chasing a revised 69 in five overs for victory, finished on 54-5 as they failed to keep pace with a daunting run rate of nearly 14 an over against a quality attack.

Jansen (2-18) and Bosch (2-20) did the bulk of the damage in an England innings where only Jos Buttler (25) passed 20.

Earlier, several South African batsmen made quickfire 20s in a total of 97-5 in 7.5 overs after Brook won the toss.

South Africa captain Aiden Markram struck 28 off 14 balls, with two fours and two sixes, although he was dropped in the deep by Phil Salt.

Donovan Ferreira, the player of the match, hit three sixes in his 25 not out and Dewald Brevis made 23.

Fast bowler Luke Wood was only playing after the hosts decided against risking Jofra Archer in the wet conditions following the express quick’s four-wicket haul in England’s record 342-run win over South Africa in the third ODI at Southampton.

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But Wood had opener Ryan Rickelton caught behind for a golden duck in a haul of 2-22.

“It feels like madness, but you can think about things. It was swinging about with the new ball, but you need one or two guys to make a cameo and you can reach a good score,” said Markram who led the Proteas to a 2-1 ODI series win, at the presentation ceremony.

England captain Harry Brook added: “We can’t read into that too much. We didn’t execute as well as we could have done.”

Both Salt, who holed out off the very first ball of the chase to the returning Kagiso Rabada, and Brook were out for ducks.

In between Jacob Bethell, fresh from his maiden professional century at Southampton, made seven before he skyed Jansen to cover.

Buttler kept England in the hunt before he was caught behind, off Jansen’s last ball of the fourth over.

England now needed 26 off six balls and Bosch, who dismissed Tom Banton with the opening delivery of the last over, ensured they never really got close, with South Africa going 1-0 up in this three-match series ahead of Friday’s second T20 at Old Trafford.

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South Africa suffered the heaviest loss in ODI history as England dismissed the tourists for just 72 in a 342-run victory inspired by Jofra Archer’s blistering bowling and Jacob Bethell’s maiden hundred on Sunday.

Chasing 415 to complete a clean sweep of the three-match series, the Proteas surrendered in humiliating fashion in 20.5 ignominious overs in Southampton.

It was the biggest winning margin in the history of the ODI format when batting first, surpassing India’s 317-run victory against Sri Lanka in 2023.

South Africa narrowly avoided beating their lowest ODI total of 69 against Australia in 1993.

England’s previous biggest margin of victory was a 242-run success against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2018.

After Bethell smashed 110 from just 82 balls and Joe Root reached a typically efficient 100, Archer set about demolishing the South Africans.

The pace bowler finished with impressive figures of 4-18 in nine overs as he removed four of South Africa’s top five batsmen.

It was the kind of fearsome form that underlined why England are so keen to keep Archer fit for the Ashes series in Australia later this year.

Beaten by seven wickets in the series opener at Headingley before losing the second game at Lord’s by five runs, England managed to save face thanks to their record-breaking performance in the final match.

England’s fifth-highest ODI total of 414-5 was more than enough to see off South Africa.

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Jos Buttler’s 62 not out and 62 from opener Jamie Smith added to the run spree alongside the precocious Bethell and the prolific Root.

Bethell’s vibrant innings featured 13 fours and three sixes as the 21-year-old showed why England have been so keen to fast-track him in all formats.

He easily surpassed his previous career-best score of 96 in a Test match against New Zealand in 2024.

Bethell, who will become England’s youngest captain in an ODI series against Ireland later this month, fell for one against South Africa at Headingley.

But he hit 58 from 40 balls at Lord’s, having been moved up to number four, and maintained that form to prove his point with an even more dynamic display on Sunday.

The Proteas’ chase got off to a disastrous start when Aiden Markram was caught behind off Archer in the first over.

Wiaan Mulder also perished for a duck in the next over as he lofted Brydon Carse to Harry Brook.

Under a suddenly leaden sky that favoured the bowlers, Archer strengthened England’s grip, inducing an edge from Ryan Rickelton that left the tourists reeling on 6-3.

Proving unplayable with his potent combination of pace and bounce, Archer had Matthew Breetzke ducking into a caught-behind to end his bid for a sixth successive ODI half-century.

Archer’s blitz wasn’t over as he dialled up the pace to over 90mph and had Tristan Stubbs caught in the slips by Will Jacks.

South Africa had slumped to 18-5, and England showed no mercy, and Adil Rashid took three wickets to ensure they finished a difficult series on a memorable note.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially announced the schedule for the all-format home series against South Africa.

Pakistan’s first match of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 will begin on 12 October, when they host defending champions South Africa at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

Notably, this will be the first five-day match at the stadium since it’s complete renovation earlier this year to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The second Test match is scheduled to take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 20 to 24 October.

This will be South Africa’s first Test tour to Pakistan since January 2021, when they lost a two-Test match series 2-0 to the hosts.

After the Tests, the focus will shift to white-ball cricket. Both sides will feature in three T20Is from 28 October to 1 November, with the first T20I taking place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, while the remaining two T20Is will be hosted at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The series will conclude with three ODIs taking place from 4 to 8 November at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

This will be the first ODI at the stadium in 17 years, with Pakistan having beaten Bangladesh by seven wickets at the venue on 11 April 2008.

PCB Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed Syed:

“We are looking forward to welcome South Africa for the opening series of our ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign. Starting the new cycle against the current Test champions will provide quality cricket for our players and fans.

“The return of ODI cricket to Faisalabad after 17 years is a special moment. Iqbal Stadium holds a proud place in our cricketing history and we are excited to bring international cricket back to this part of the country.”

Schedule of Pakistan-South Africa series

• 12-16 October – First Test at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
• 20-24 October – Second Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
• 28 October – First T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
• 31 October – Second T20I at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
• 1 November – Third T20I at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
• 4 November – First ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
• 6 November – Second ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
• 8 November – Third ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a red-ball training camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore ahead of the upcoming home Test series against South Africa, with star batter Babar Azam among the participants.

The camp will run from September 9 to 28, giving players a three-week window for focused preparation ahead of the high-profile series.

A total of 11 players have been called up, with all set to report by September 8. Red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood will lead the camp, assisted by NCA coaches and staff.

Alongside Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Raza, Azan Awais, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Salman, Rohail Nazir, Sajid Khan, and Shamyl Hussain are also part of the training camp.

According to the PCB, these players were chosen as they are not currently featuring in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, Pakistan’s premier domestic red-ball competition.

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Wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan and pace bowler Naseem Shah were unavailable for selection due to their ongoing commitments in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025.

The camp will feature scenario-based practice matches to replicate real-game situations, with an emphasis on skill development and match readiness.

The South Africa series will mark the start of Pakistan’s campaign in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle.

The two-match Test series begins in Lahore on October 12, followed by the second Test in Rawalpindi on October 20. The tour also features three ODIs and three T20Is.

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