Ayabonga Khaka three-for helps seal series victory for Proteas Women against Pakistan

The Proteas Women beat Pakistan by six wickets in the second T20I at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Friday night that was reduced to 14 overs because of rain – sealing the three-match series with a match to spare.

Seamer bowler Ayabonga Kaka starred with the ball for South Africa, grabbing 3/10 in two overs as the Proteas restricted Pakistan to 100/9 after winning the toss and putting in to bat. Skipper Laura Wolvaardt kept her composure to guide the Proteas past the total in the final over. 

The swashbuckling visitors were in trouble early on, with seamers Marizanne Kapp and Masabatha Klaas reducing them to 26/3 in the four PowerPlay overs  – and they could have been five or six down had a number of catches gone to hand.

Klaas was particularly good with her change of pace as she accounted for Gull Feroza and Eyman Fatima in the opening burst.

Khaka then got in on the act with her first wicket, while a run-out reduced Pakistan to 61/5 at the end of the eighth over, scoring at under eight runs to the over. 

Spinner Kayla Reyneke, who had enjoyed a match-winning debut with bat bat and ball in the first T20I in Potchefstroom on Tuesday evening, then accounted for the dangerous skipper, Fatima Sana. The visitors were rocking at 73/6 after 10 overs.

Mlaba flummoxed Tuba Hasan, who played around a full delivery from the spinner. Khaka then bowled Aliya Riaz and Humna Bilal in the space of three balls as Pakistan limped to 100 runs in their 14 overs. 

The Proteas chased down the total with relative ease. Tazmin Britz and Sune Luus freed their arms after a cagey opening over, scoring two boundaries apiece as SA reached 26/0 after three overs.

When Luus was dismissed for 13, it brought Wolvaardt to the wicket. The skipper survived an early scare, after being dropped without scoring. In contrast to the Pakistan batters, who tried to hit their way out of trouble, the Proteas were content to look for singles and punish the bad balls. 

A huge six by Luus and four by Wolvaardt in the seventh over kept the Proteas ahead of the required run rate.

Luus later fell for 29 as the Proteas tried to up the tempo. When the rain returned in the tenth over the SA side were on par with DLS at 71-2, but the fall of Dané van Niekerk's wicket left them behind the required score.

Wolvaardt then showed her class and experience, mixing two lusty pull shots with ones and twos, as she kept the scoreboard ticking over at 35 runs off 26 balls (4X4). SA needed 13 runs to win off the last 12 balls, with Kapp playing the support role.

When a glorious Kapp cut reduced the target to three runs off the final seven balls, the match was all but over as a contest. Skipper Wolvaardt top-scored with 40 not out, with Nadine de Klerk hitting the winning runs as the Proteas reached 104/4.  

The final match of the series will take place at the same Benoni venue on Monday.