South Africa prises open spin stranglehold

South Africa Women’s highest-ever successful chase in ICC Women’s World Cup history was 177, against Ireland Women in 2000. So, when Pakistan Women set it a target of 207 in its opening game at Grace Road in Leicester on Sunday, the anticipation of a thriller was not unfounded.

Suddenly, memories of how Pakistan had smothered the West Indies and India by spin during the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 last year were reignited, as were images of the men’s team defying the odds to lift the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 a week back. It was only natural to look for patterns as soon as South Africa started its chase.

The spinners bowled seven of the Power Play overs, but Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt hit eight fours and a six in that phase. Even then, you knew in your mind that one wicket was all that was needed for a pattern to emerge.

And then it came. As soon as the field restrictions were lifted, the boundaries started drying up and there was hesitation among the openers while running between the wickets. When only one four came between the 11th and 19th overs, the pattern seemed to take shape. But then Lee and Wolvaardt hit Kainat Imtiaz, the medium-pacer, for four fours and a six in three successive overs, and South Africa was in control again.

With South Africa enjoying the pace off the surface, Sana Mir brought herself back for her second spell in place of Imtiaz in the 26th over. It was a masterstroke as she took four balls to have Lee leg before wicket off a sweep shot.

Now it was up to Pakistan to capitalise on the opening it had created. Mir kept at it. She changed fields, got the wicketkeeper to stand up every time the pacers operated, shuffled her bowlers and asked her spinners to get the ball to drift. Suddenly, the infield became difficult to penetrate, and the outfield started to look slower and bigger. No boundaries since the departure of Lee meant that something had to give.

Wolvaardt’s suicidal run-out while going for a non-existent second off the first ball of the 31st over opened up the game further. South Africa now had two new batters facing spinners bowling with a softer ball. With the extra-cover and mid-wicket fences patrolled, South Africa had to rotate strike, but that also increased the risk of run-outs.

The first signs of panic were evident when Javeria Khan pulled off a spectacular catch at short mid-wicket to send Trisha Chetty back off the second ball of the 35th over. Marizanne Kapp nervously ran after hitting to short cover and lost her wicket, Chloe Tryon was bowled trying to play across the line, Dane van Niekerk, the captain, was out going for yet another non-existent run, and Mignon du Preez found the deep mid-wicket fielder as South Africa stumbled to 177 for 7 in 45 overs.

Between the dismissals of Wolvaardt and du Preez in the space of 15 overs, South Africa played out 48 dot balls and hit just three fours. Critically, there were three silly run-outs that exposed its nerves.

“A million things go through your mind when you go into bat. I was sitting with my warm-up clothes on and all of a sudden I had my pads on. It’s a bit frantic but no excuse,” van Niekerk said after South Africa managed to sneak home by three wickets. “No run is worth a wicket – we know that. It’s basics. We lost track of that. It’s really straightforward, running between the wickets – it’s yes or no. Communication is part of that. There is no excuse.”

The four spinners finished with combined figures of 31-3-96-4, but Pakistan lost with six balls to spare after Shabnim Ismail hit three fours off Imtiaz in the 49th over. But that did not diminish the thrill of Pakistan’s fight.

“I am in the middle of being a bit sad and very happy with the way the girls have progressed and put up a fight,” Mir said, even while defending her decision to give the 49th over to Imtiaz and not Bismah Maroof. “Bismah was obviously one option, but the job for Kainat and Asmavia is to bowl in the death overs. Bismah is a non-regular bowler, and she could have ended up bowling a full toss. You can think about these things after the match, but Asmavia bowled well in her second spell and got us back into the game. It was not only the spinners. Kainat had bowled good overs up front.

“In the innings break, I thought we were 30 runs short because the track was absolutely fine. South Africa stopped at least 30 runs on the field, and our batters kept giving away their wickets,” she added. “But very proud of the way the team got us back when they were 100-odd for no wicket. We bank a lot on spin, and bowling those kinds of spells on English conditions – all credit to the spinners to take it to the last over.”

It was quite "nerve-wracking" for Ismail, the Player of the Match for her unbeaten 22, two wickets and the run out of Nahida Kahn who made 79 ("I was jogging to the ball because I have a strong arm"), but she "just put my head down and hit the ball".