The Proteas women produced a poor performance to fall to a heavy 53-run defeat in the third and final T20 International against Pakistan at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Monday night.
It was a consolation win for the visitors, after they lost the opening two games in Potchefstroom and Benoni last week, but it will definitely lift Pakistan ahead of the ODI series starting in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Pakistan sign off the T20I series on a strong note đź’Ş
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 16, 2026
Disciplined bowling and sharp fielding highlighted by three run-outs seal a 53-run win ✨#SAWvPAKW | #BackOurGirls pic.twitter.com/nJo5dzK3Qa
The Proteas will also need to improve heading into the ODIs, as even though they won the T20I series, it wasn't plain sailing.
They needed a last-ball win in the first T20, while they allowed Pakistan to get more runs than they should have in every T20 after having them in trouble in each match.
In the match Pakistan batted first and were saved again by captain Fatima Sana as she cracked an unbeaten 47 off 30 balls (4x4; 2x6), rescuing them from 68-5 in the 12th over to get them to a competitive 144-7.
The Proteas would still have been comfortable chasing that score, but got off to a disastrous start, falling to 30-4 by the fifth over, with them effectively out of the game by then as they were eventually all out for 91.
They also suffered a heavy blow by having star allrounder Marizanne Kapp unavailable to bat. Kapp bowled three overs in the Pakistan innings, conceding just 11 runs, but then went off the field ill and was unable to return for the rest of the match.
“That was a disappointing way to end the series. I think we’ve been playing some very good cricket but lost our way today,” said disappointed Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt after the match.
“I think we bowled pretty well, but our fielding let us down again, which was something we wanted to be a lot better at today, but I don’t think we quite did that.
“With the bat it was a lack of partnerships and the fact that one of the top four didn’t bat through that cost us. It was always going to be a tough chase after that start we had.”
In the first over of the Proteas' chase opener Tazmin Brits chased a wide ball from Sana and feathered an edge to keeper Muneeba Ali for a third-ball duck to get the home team off to the worst possible start.
The fourth over then saw Lara Goodall (11) sky spinner Sadia Iqbal to Tasmia Rubab at mid-off, followed a few balls later by Dane van Niekerk for a second-ball duck, edging the ball to the keeper with the score 26-3.
At the start of the fifth over Wolvaardt pulled Sana straight to Natalia Pervaiz at midwicket, and with it essentially 30-5 as Kapp was unable to bat, the chase was pretty much done.
Nadine de Klerk, 27 off 30 balls (4x4), and Annerie Dercksen, 30 off 38 (3x4), dug in and tried to build a platform for them to make a late charge at the total, sharing in a measured 55-run partnership.
But once Dercksen was unluckily run out by Nashra Sandhu in the 15th over, after she was struck by the ball hit by De Klerk, with it deflecting straight to the bowler, it started an incredible crash that saw them lose their last five wickets for six runs to crumble to a poor loss.
Iqbal finished as the pick of the bowlers with top figures of 3-18 in 3.5 overs, while Sana was fantastic, claiming 2-12 in three, and was duly named player of the match and series after a superb three games from a personal perspective.
Stellar throughout the series 🌟
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 16, 2026
Pakistan captain @imfatimasana claims player of the match (47* & 2–12) and player of the series honours 🏆
146 runs at a strike-rate of 184.81 across 3 innings 🔥#SAWvPAKW | #BackOurGirls pic.twitter.com/yxcSluTgWG
MIXED RESULTS FOR SA IN THE FIELD
In the first innings fielding was the big talking point for the hosts, after they effected four run outs in the innings, but also shelled five catches, which aided Pakistan in getting to what turned out to be a defendable score.
It was a poor start to the innings for Pakistan, as they lost both openers in the first two overs, Ali first run out, and then Gull Feroza caught by Dercksen off Masabata Klaas, both for second-ball ducks, leaving them in early strife on 10-2.
Ayesha Zafar (19) and Sidra Amin (26) tried to reignite the innings with a 38-run third-wicket stand,as they took their side to 46-2 at the end of the powerplay, but in the next over Zafar was caught by Wolvaardt off the bowling of Nonkululeko Mlaba, leaving them on 48-3.
Pervaiz (7) and Amin then added 13 to the score, before on the halfway mark Amin ran herself out going for a second that wasn’t on, thanks to smart fielding from Ayabonga Khaka, with the score 61-4.
In the 12th over Pervaiz skied Khaka to Brits at deep midwicket, leaving Pakistan in deep trouble, only for Sana to walk in and, along with Aliya Riaz (26), drag them back from the brink.
They were aided by some poor fielding, as first Riaz on seven was dropped twice by Dercksen off consecutive Klaas balls in the 15th over, the first a tough diving chance, but the second was a dolly and should have been held.
Sana on 18 was then dropped in the next over after hammering Khaka to Brits at deep midwicket, where she should have held onto a tricky chance.
That allowed them to kick onto a 50-run partnership, before there were two more run outs late on as they tried to get Sana back on strike over the last two overs.
Mlaba (1-22 in her four overs) and Khaka (1-26) were the pick of the Proteas' bowlers.
PROTEAS WOMEN: Tazmin Brits, Lara Goodall, Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Karabo Meso (wk), Masabat Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
PAKISTAN WOMEN: Muneeba Ali (wk), Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Sidra Amin, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (capt), Aliya Riaz, Tuba Hassan, Tasmia Rubab, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal