Women's T20 World Cup 2026: PAK W vs SA W Today's Match Highlights: Unmissable video recap, POTM, match analysis, stats and more

In a contest which could have gone either way, South Africa Women (SA W) clinched a solid win against Pakistan Women (PAK W) in Match 11 of the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup 2026, getting over the line with two wickets and 19 balls to spare at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Wednesday, June 17.

As the match kicked off in style, Pakistan batted first, and despite a horrendous start where they lost half the side in the powerplay with just 29 runs on the board, they put up a fight through a terrific comeback. Captain Fatima Sana (55 off 38) and Tuba Hassan (23 off 27) did an excellent recovery job for the Women in Green, as they were able to score 126-9 at the end of their 20 overs.

For the Proteas, the start wasn't as easy, since the difficult conditions at Edgbaston did not allow for a free flow of runs. A collapse in the middle made the game swing the opposite way for a while, and the Fatima Sana-led side genuinely seemed to have made a comeback in their defence. But the South Africans managed to pull things back in their favour and registered a solid win to get off the mark in the tournament.

South Africa had lost opener Sune Luus in the second over of the chase, but Annerie Dercksen's arrival at the crease meant that the Proteas were in safe hands. Dercksen dominated the powerplay, taking the maximum advantage of the field restrictions. Once skipper Laura Wolvaardt departed for 8 off 12, Dercksen took the charge in her own hands and steered the run chase with her 52-run knock off just 35 deliveries, batting on an extremely difficult track.

The experience of Marizanne Kapp (3-23 in 4 overs) was on display right away, as she began the proceedings with the ball and struck on the first ball, trapping Muneeba Ali lbw. She struck for the second time in the first over, this time getting rid of another opener, Gull Feroza, on the last ball. In her second over, Kapp got the better of Ayesha Zafar, completing her three wickets that put her side right on top of the contest early on.

Dercksen, who registered her maiden half-century in the T20 World Cup and steered the brilliant run chase for the Proteas, was adjudged the Player of the Match. Her knock in the middle included seven beautiful boundaries and a couple of glorious sixes as well, as she helped the South African side gain a couple of crucial points on the table.

Scotland and the West Indies will be seen crossing swords in the next match of the Women's T20 World Cup 2026. This contest will be played on Thursday, June 18 at the Headingley in Leeds.