Pakistan bowl first; SA bring in Khaka
Klaas left out in a like-for-like swap
Shashank Kishore
21-Oct-2025 • 5 hrs ago
Ayabonga Khaka has troubled Pakistan previously • PCB
Toss Pakistan opt to bowl vs South Africa
Fatima Sana won the toss as Pakistan elected to bowl on a fresh surface against South Africa on a muggy afternoon in Colombo with some rain around.
Pakistan are winless, but are still in with a slim chance of making the semi-finals. They will need to win big on Tuesday for starters, and hope several other results go their way.
They're unchanged from the side that locked horns against New Zealand in a rained out fixture three days ago.
Meanwhile, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt announced one change: Ayabonga Khaka replacing Masabata Klaas in a like-for-like switch.
"It's not the worst thing," Wolvaardt said about being put in to bat. "We've obviously done really well chasing. The last time we batted first, things didn't go to plan, but having qualified for the semis, it will be nice to test ourselves today."
Since losing to England - where they were bowled out for 69 batting first (the second-lowest total in World Cup history) - South Africa have gone on a run of four straight wins.
They enjoy a decent head-to-head in recent times over their opponents, having beaten Pakistan 2-1 when the sides last met in a bilateral series in Lahore last month.
Pakistan: 1 Omaima Sohail, 2 Muneeba Ali, 3 Sidra Amin, 4 Aliya Riaz, 5 Natalia Pervaiz, 6 Fatima Sana (capt), 7 Sidra Nawaz (wk), 8 Rameen Shamim 9 Diana Baig, 10 Nashra Sandhu, 11 Sadia Iqbal
South Africa: 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Annerie Dercksen, 6 Chloe Tryon, 7 Nadine de Klerk, 8 Karabo Meso (wk), 9 Nondumiso Shangase, 10 Ayabonga Khaka, 11 Nonkululeko Mlaba
Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo