LAHORE: Pakistan Women will take on South Africa Women in the second ODI of the three-match series later today at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The first ODI saw the visitors defeat the hosts by eight wickets, with Marizanne Kapp (120 not out, 128b, 13x4s, 2x6) and Tazmin Brits (101 not out, 121b, 9x4s) putting on an unbeaten 216-run stand for the third wicket.
For Pakistan, Sidra Amin scored an unbeaten 121, which also helped her complete 2,000 ODI runs. She shared a 147-run stand for the second wicket with Muneeba Ali, who, playing her 50th ODI, scored 76 off 94 balls.
Muneeba Ali said, “We reflected on the first match and identified the areas where we were lacking, whether it was in batting, bowling, strategy or tactics. We have discussed those aspects and our aim is to improve where we fell short and carry the positives into the next match, so that as a team and as a group we can cover all bases.”
When asked how much the series will help them gear up for the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, the left-handed opening batter said: “Playing matches before a tournament always helps with preparation. As a group and as a team, you get to know where you stand and which areas require greater effort for improvement. Our focus will be to address those shortcomings, build on the good things we did and ultimately look to win matches.”
On her role in the side, the team’s vice-captain responded, “The management, both for T20Is and ODIs, communicated my role to me well in advance. The head coach clearly conveyed what was expected of me leading up to the World Cup and how I could contribute to the team. My focus has been on following that plan as closely as possible and producing results in the team’s favour.”
Speaking about partnerships in the first ODI, Muneeba remarked, “The opposition had a long partnership and we also managed to build one, but the difference was that they converted theirs into a match-winning stand. Our objective will be to form partnerships that result in match-winning contributions and give us more opportunities to dominate.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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