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COLOMBO: Pakistan captain Fatima Sana admitted her side’s failure with the ball cost them dearly as they slumped to a crushing defeat against South Africa in their must-win ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 clash here on Tuesday.
The rain-hit encounter, which was reduced to 20 overs per side, saw Pakistan fall well short of the revised target of 234, finishing at 83 for 7, a result that all but ended their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
Opting to bowl first, Pakistan’s previously consistent attack was dismantled by a ruthless South African batting lineup that piled up a record 312 for 9 in 40 overs, their highest-ever total in a Women’s World Cup match.
Speaking after the game, Fatima Sana didn’t shy away from admitting that it was Pakistan’s bowling that faltered under pressure.
“I think today is the day bowlers didn’t perform well. We have to accept it,” Fatima said. “They played very well, but we needed to be calmer in those situations.”
The 23-year-old skipper pointed to the difficult post-rain conditions as a key factor behind her side’s struggle to find rhythm.
“After the rain, the ball was wet, and it was hard for the bowlers to grip. We tried to bowl on the stumps but couldn’t execute our plans,” she explained.
Despite acknowledging the bowling collapse, Fatima suggested the pitch remained good for batting, but Pakistan’s batters lacked belief in chasing the steep target.
“We lost early wickets and couldn’t build partnerships,” she said. “The pitch was fine, we just didn’t believe enough. Maybe some batters didn’t have that belief.”
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