They’ve already wrapped up a series victory, but the Proteas women’s team have a lot to play for in the third and final one-day international (ODI) against Pakistan in Durban on Sunday (10am start).
Despite the hosts holding an unassailable 2-0 series lead, the game will offer points as part of the ICC Women’s Championship, which is the qualifying competition for the 2029 Women’s Cricket World Cup.
And it will give South Africa an opportunity to secure a 3-0 cleansweep in a series in any format since they defeated Ireland in a three-match ODI campaign in Dublin in June 2022.
“I think we’ve been playing some good cricket this series,” Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt said on Saturday.
“We’ve had it a few times where we’ve won the first two and let the last one slip a little bit, so it’s something we’re aware of and hopefully we can really regroup tomorrow…Â and I think a cleansweep in the series will be pretty big for us as well, so we’ll be full steam ahead.”
Standing up against gender-based violence
The game will also serve as the annual Black Day match for the national side, in support of awareness against gender-based violence.
“It’s a huge day for us, just being able to use our platform to bring awareness to gender-based violence, highlighting the bravery of women affected by it,” Wolvaardt said.
“If there’s any sort of little difference we can make in bringing awareness towards it, I think that’s huge for us as a group, so it’s a very special day for all of us.”
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