South Africa level series against Pakistan on record-breaking day
Lizelle Lee scored a 26-ball 50 – the fastest half-century for South Africa in women's T20Is – to set the tone for the 173-run chase, which they completed with four wickets and five deliveries to spare. This despite Pakistan posting their second-highest T20I total of all time and Nida Dar blazing away to a fifty in 20 balls.
Such was Lee's dominance that when she was finally dismissed, she had scored 60 out of South Africa's 74 runs at that point. She reached her half-century in style, smashing Aliya Riaz for four consecutive boundaries to take South Africa to 60/0 after the Powerplay.
South Africa level the series with a four-wicket win in the 4th T20I!
— ICC (@ICC) May 22, 2019
Lizelle Lee brought up a 26-ball half-century to set up their chase of a target of 173 on a record-breaking day!#SAvPAK 📹 https://t.co/WduwT2YA5V pic.twitter.com/t2vckfNKYD
Pacer Fatima Sana, who was dropped by Pakistan after going wicketless in the first T20I, made a strong comeback with figures of 3/27 in her four-over spell. She helped take the game to the final over with her middle-over scalps of Nadine de Klerk, Sune Luus and Mignon du Preez.
However, Sinalo Jafta and Shabnim Ismail remained unbeaten as the lower-middle order took South Africa over the line.
Earlier in the day, a 37-ball 75 from Nida Dar set the tone for Pakistan. Her knock, laced with eight fours and three sixers, is the highest individual T20I score in Pakistan women's T20I history.
Pakistan were reduced to 10/2 within five overs, but Dar struck a 106-run partnership with skipper Bismah Maroof (37) to lead the fightback. It is now Pakistan's third-highest partnership in women's T20I cricket.
Aliya Riaz's 17-ball 35* gave the visitors the finishing impetus to take the total past 170. Ismail was the pick of the home bowlers, with figures of 2/22.