Annerie Dercksen produced a remarkable display of power-hitting to lift South Africa to a formidable total of 361-8 after being asked to bat first 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 and made the home side strong favourites in the second innings despite a typically sublime batting pitch.
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.
The half-centuries keep coming for the Proteas Women in Centurion 🇿🇦👏
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) February 25, 2026
Annerie Dercksen bags her third in national colours 🔥
📺 Stream #SAvPAK on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/hg3EQUa2S4
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.
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 in by 37 runs in Bloemfontein having 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.