Pakistan Elect to Bowl First Against South Africa in Crucial World Cup Clash

Colombo, October 21, 2025 – Pakistan captain Fatima Sana won the toss and chose to bowl first against South Africa on a fresh Colombo pitch under muggy conditions with rain in the air, in a must-win Women's World Cup group-stage encounter.

Pakistan remain winless in the tournament so far but still have a mathematical chance of making it to the semi-finals. A big win today is imperative for them to stay in contention, along with a favourable combination of other results.

Pakistan have retained the same playing XI that featured in their previous game against New Zealand, which was washed out due to rain.

South Africa, already through to the semi-finals, made one change to their side, bringing in experienced seamer Ayabonga Khaka in place of Masabata Klaas in a like-for-like swap. Khaka has a history of troubling Pakistan batters, as seen during their recent bilateral series in Lahore.

"It's not the worst thing," said South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt when asked about being put in to bat. "We've done really well chasing, but it's a good chance to test ourselves now that we've qualified."

After a disastrous start to the tournament — including a 69 all-out against England, the second-lowest total in Women’s World Cup history — South Africa have bounced back with four consecutive wins. They also hold a recent edge over Pakistan, having won their last series 2-1 in Lahore.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: Omaima Sohail, Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (capt), Sidra Nawaz (wk), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Karabo Meso (wk), Nondumiso Shangase, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

With rain looming and both teams having different stakes in the game, this clash promises to be a tense and closely-watched affair.