South Africa defeated Pakistan by six wickets on the final day of warm-ups at the Women's T20 World Cup, while West Indies defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets with two balls to spare in a low-scoring thriller.
All-rounder Aliya Riaz was the star of the show for Pakistan, making 48 off 30 balls as her team set hosts South Africa 143 to win. Lower-order batter Ayesha Naseem scored 21 runs from 12 balls before being dismissed by Ayabonga Khaka, who took two for 23, and spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, who took one for 16 from her four overs.
In response, South Africa's response was led by Laura Wolvaardt, who scored 65 in a 107-run opening partnership with Tazmin Brits. Tazmin went on to make 36 before South Africa was reduced to 116/4 after Anneke Bosch and captain Sune Luus both fell for three runs.
Lower-order batting all-rounders Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk led the Proteas to victory with 10 balls to spare, sending South Africa to Newlands in high spirits ahead of their tournament opener against Sri Lanka on February 10.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, stuttered their way to 107 all out from 20 overs, with only Nilakshi de Silva able to deliver with the bat. She arrived with Sri Lanka two for 29 after 5.2 overs and scored 29 off 26 balls to help her team reach a modest total.
Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari both scored 16 points. However, seven single-digit scores, including captain Chamari Athapaththu, slowed their progress.
After taking three for 17 with the ball, captain Hayley Matthews gave the West Indies the perfect batting platform with a fifty before she was run out by some brilliant glovework from Anushka Sanjeewani. They slipped to five for 76 before Chinelle Henry steered her side home alongside Afy Fletcher.
Brief Scores:
Pakistan 142/5 in 20 overs (Aliya Riaz 48 not out, Ayesha Naseem 21; Ayabonga Khaka 2/23, Nonkululeko Mlaba 1/16) lost to South Africa 143/4 in 18.2 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 65, Tazmin Brits 36; Aliya Riaz 2/24, Sadia Iqbal 3/22) by six wickets
Sri Lanka 107 all out in 20 overs (Nilakshi Silva 29, Harshitha Samarawickrama 16; Hayley Matthews 3/17, Afy Fletcher 2/13) lost to West Indies 111/6 in 19.4 overs (Hayley Matthews 46) by four wickets