Half-century from Laura Wolvaardt and a disciplined bowling effort helped South Africa book a semi-final berth as the team defeated Pakistan by 17 runs in Group B of the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup in Sydney this Sunday (March 1). 

Wolvaardt's brilliant 36-ball 53*, backed up by a nice thirty from Marizanne Kapp (31), helped the Proteas finish with a competitive total of 136/6. 

Read Also: Ellyse Perry in doubt for virtual quarterfinal against New Zealand

Diana Baig (2/19) was the stand-out performer with the ball for Pakistan. Even Anam Amin (1/22), Syeda Aroob Shah (1/25) and Nida Dar (1/26) bowled economical spells but Aiman Anwer (1/43) proved too expansive, almost undoing the effort of the rest of the attack. 

In the run-chase, Pakistan struggled to put the ball off the square. Even though skipper Javeria Khan (31) and middle-order batter Aliya Riaz (39) made thirties, fantastic spells from Nonkululeko Mlaba (1/20), Shabnim Ismail (1/17) and South African captain Dane van Niekerk (1/17) meant the team finished at only 119/5, well short of the target. 

This was Proteas' third straight victory of the tournament, earlier defeating England and Thailand. For Pakistan, the result was a major jolt to the team's diminishing semi-final chances, having gone down heavily against England and failing to carry the momentum forward from the win over West Indies. 

Brief scores:

South Africa women 136/6 in 20 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 53*, Marizanne Kapp 31; Diana Baig 2/19, Anam Amin 1/22) beat Pakistan 119/5 in 20 overs (Aliya Riaz 39, Javeria Khan 31; Nonkululeko Mlaba 1/20, Shabnim Ismail 1/17) by 17 runs