Annerie Dercksen produced a remarkable display of power-hitting to spearhead a brilliant batting display from South Africa as they posted a formidable 361-8 to win by 16 runs in their ICC Women’s Championship one-day international against Pakistan at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday afternoon.
Dercksen struck 24 runs from the five balls before her dismissal for 90 from just 68 balls, opener Tasmin Brits hammered 77 from only 62 balls, while Sune Luus contributed a measured 57 from 67 balls as the total ballooned past 300 for the second highest score in Proteas Women’s history.
Power hitting at its finest 🤩🇿🇦
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) February 25, 2026
An innings of the highest order from Annerie Dercksen 👏💫#SAvPAK | #SSCricket pic.twitter.com/SPBMz3dpxz
Dercksen (9-0-59-3) continued her brilliant all-round performance with a double new-ball strike to reduce Pakistan to 24-2 but a third-wicket partnership of 97 between opener Sadaf Shamas (61) and Ayesha Zafar (75) revived the tourists thin hopes.
But when Shamas drove Luus to Chloe Tryon at mid off South Africa appeared to regain control.
Pakistan fought valiantly in pursuit of what would have been a record run-chase in Women’s ODIs with captain Fatima Sana lashing a defiant 52 from 36 balls at No 8 but the task was too great as the tourists finished on a massively creditable 345 in 49.5 overs.
At 199-6 after 31 overs South Africa should have wrapped up the series but a wretched total of 30 extras, including 24 wides, indicated a combination of complacency and nerves in the face of Pakistan’s admirable rearguard fightback.
SA BATTERS STEP UP
Brits bristled with attacking intent throughout her innings, thumping two straight sixes and collecting ten further boundaries with square cuts and a strong bottom hand producing whips from off stump through the leg side.
Captain Laura Wolvaardt (20) shared an opening stand of 55 before falling to left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal with four boundaries from 27 balls but Brits was in no mood for consolidation at any stage.
Faye Tunnicliffe (7) was bowled through the gate by a slow, dipping delivery from legspinner Syeda Aroob (10-0-49-2) and Brits eventually departed in the 19th over aiming an ambitious slog-sweep at left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu (9-0-79-1) and presenting ‘keeper Muneeba Ali with a straightforward stumping.
Luus and Dercksen built meticulously on the platform of 118-3 playing low-risk per centage cricket in the early stages of their 102-run partnership, rotating the strike regularly but driving and pulling clinically when the bowlers over-pitched or dropped short.
Pakistan did themselves no favours in the field, dropping all of the top four batters with Luus escaping twice – including a simple catch to mid off.
Luus reached her fourth 50 in the last five innings – one of which she turned into a century – from just 59 balls with a pulled four against seamer Fatima Sana.
Suné Luus' scoring streak continues 🔥
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) February 25, 2026
📺 Stream #SAvPAK on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw#HereForHer pic.twitter.com/LemKyzJGPQ
Suné Luus has 3,000 runs in ODI cricket 🤩⭐
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) February 25, 2026
She becomes the fifth @ProteasWomenCSA batter to achieve this milestone 👏#HereForHer | #SSCricket pic.twitter.com/Fv4pEX6WYs
Dercksen initially dominated the stand, scoring comfortably at a run-a-ball to reach a third ODI 50 with four fours and a cracking straight six but Luus was trapped lbw by Aroob for 57 from 67 balls.
Dercksen was largely responsible for 45 runs coming from overs 42 to 44 with three straight sixes against Sandhu who conceded 19 from the 44th.
Iqbal (10-0-65-2) claimed a second wicket with Sinalo Jafta (6) playing back and losing her off bail but Chloe Tryon chipped in with 37 from only 23 balls while Nadine de Klerk produced her customary fireworks with a remarkable 49 from 26 balls with seven fours and an extraordinary 90-metre six.
South Africa scored 124 runs from the final 10 overs.
South Africa won the first game of the ODI series by 37 runs in Bloemfontein and now take an unassailable 2-0 lead into the third and final game in Durban on Sunday.
They won the preceding T20I series 2-1.
SOUTH AFRICA: Tazmin Brits, Laura Woolvardt (capt), Faye Tunnicliffe, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Nondumiso Shangase, Ayanda Hlubi, Nonkululeko Mlaba.
PAKISTAN: Muneeba Ali (wk), Sadaf Shams, Ayesha Zafar, Sidra Amin, Natalia Parvaiz, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana (capt), Nashra Sundhu, Syeda Aroob Shah, Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal.
