Highlights, India Women vs South Africa Women, 4th T20I at Centurion: Match called off due to rain, visitors lead 2-1

India retain the lead 2-1, with one match left to play the visitors cannot lose the series

Match called-off

Well, ladies and gentlemen, there’s some bad news. The match has been called off. Yep, that’s a killjoy but that’s what it is. India retain 2-1 lead, and South Africa still have a chance to square the series in Capetown on Saturday.

Here is what India could been chasing…only if the match resumes:

If we will have a 10-over game then India’s target will be 109 and for a 5-over game, it will be 61.

Argh! Now this is starting to get really frustrating

Still drizzling and we’re closing on the cut-off time

We have some good news! 

The rain has stopped and the groundsmen have started to prepare. Keep your fingers crossed!

No confirmation yet but safe to assume that it will be shortened game, we might lose some overs here

Yep. When?

If South Africa Women do not come out to bat again then Indian Women’s target will be 148 from 15 overs as per DLS.

Pouring pretty heavily at SuperSport Park

Lizelle Lee has now hit five sixes in this innings – the most by South African player in a Women’s T20I match. The previous highest was four by Chloe Tryon against India Women at Potchefstroom in 2018.

Rain stops play

And there’s the downpour. It was predicted though, likely to be a passing shower. But more importantly, it might just suck the momentum out of South Africa’s innings. Lee has taken over from Niekerk remarkably and has given ample evidence of her power. Can she continue it in last five overs? We’ll find out when we return.

After 15 overs South Africa 128/3 (Lee 58, du Preez 1)

Another eventful over this. Deepti Sharma gets rid of Sune Luus but conceded 10 runs.

Most fifty-plus scores for South Africa Women in T20Is:

6 – Mignon du Preez, Dane van Niekerk*
5 – Lizelle Lee*
3 – Trisha Chetty

SIX! Awesome power from Lee. Tossed up by Deepti and Lee hits it over long-on.

After 14 overs South Africa 118/2 (Lee 49, Luus 5)

An eventful over this from Poonam. 12 runs and the wicket of Tryon.

OUT! Flatter ball from Deepti Sharma and Sune Luus misses her sweep. She is hit plumb.

Sune Luus lbw b Deepti Sharma 5(3)

FIFTY! That’s the half-century for Lizelle Lee. Well played!

FOUR! Sune Luus into the act. Hits it to long-on and misfielfd gets her the boundary.

SIX! Poonam flights and Lee responds with a six over long-on. Stunning!

Dane van Niekerk becomes the first South African player to score a fifty against India Women in T20Is.

This is the second century stand between Lizelle Lee and Dane van Niekerk – the joint most among all the pairs in Women’s T20Is.

Sune Luus is in

OUT! That’s number two. Big-hitting Tryon pulls Poonam Yadav straight to Rumeli Dhar, who is stationed at square leg this time. 

Chloe Tryon c Rumeli Dhar b Poonam Yadav 2(4)

This is South Africa’s third century opening stand in Women’s T20Is. 

1. 170 b/w Trisha Chetty and Shandre Fritz against Netherlands Women at Potchefstroom in 2010
2. 163* b/w Lizelle Lee and Dane van Niekerk against Pakistan Women at Sylhet in 2014

After 13 overs South Africa 106/1 (Lee 42, Tryon 2)

Deepti Sharma returns and gets India the wicket they needed. Concedes 13 though. India finally see the back of Niekerk; they need a few more now.

Chloe Tryon is in. She bats right-handed.

OUT! Finally! That was short and on off-stump and Niekerk decided to blast it over covers. No timing at all and Rumeli Dhar takes the catch.

van Niekerk c Rumeli Dhar b Deepti Sharma 55(47)

FOUR! Tossed up again from Deepti and Niekerk swings hard. Beats the long-on fielder.

FIFTY! Tossed up from Deepti and Niekerk steps out and deposits her over long-on for a six. It also brings up her fifty. Lovely, clean strike.

After 12 overs South Africa 93/0 (Lee 41, van Niekerk 45)

Another bowling change. Harmanpreet brings herself on. They need some wickets here now, India. Starts neatly, just one from first three balls. Niekerk steps out and drives powerfully to long-off for a single. Lee takes a tight single on the fifth ball. Single to end the over. Decent start from the skipper.

After 11 overs South Africa 89/0 (Lee 39, van Niekerk 43)

Gayakwad returns, she had an expensive first over. And she is greeted with a six by Niekerk. Comes down the track and lofts her over deep midwicket. Lovely swing, and it falls in the crowd. Some power! Lee joins the party on the fourth ball. That’s fairly wide off the off-stump, and Lee reaches out and somehow generates enough power to hit it over long-on for six. 16 from that over.

SIX! Gayakwad being punished here. Lee reaches for that widish delivery and uses the width to hit it with immense power. It sails over long-on.

After 10 overs South Africa 73/0 (Lee 30, van Niekerk 36)

Poonam Yadav continues. Niekerk hits her across the line again, gets a top-edge but it goes over square leg. Just a single though. She gets a four lkater in the over though. Seven from this over.

FOUR! Bad delivery that from Poonam Yadav. That was short, and Niekerk goes on her knee and swats it over square leg.

After 9 overs South Africa 66/0 (Lee 29, van Niekerk 30)

Deepti Sharma, right-arm medium is into the attack. She looks like bowling fastish off-spinners though. Starts with a wide down Niekerk’s legs, who goes for a reverse hit next ball but finds the fielder. No run. Single on the next ball to short fine leg. What happened there? First the bowler pulled out, then the batsman, and then comes the six. What a shot from Lee this. Two singles to end this over. Another good over for South Africa.

SIX! Full and in the slot from Deepti and Lee smokes it over her head. Lovely shot.

Poonam Yadav is the third highest wicket-taker for India in Women’s T20Is with 37 wickets.

She has to try to break this stand if India want to restrict South Africa from posting a big total.

After 8 overs South Africa 56/0 (Lee 22, van Niekerk 28)

Bowling change. Leg-spinner Poonam Yadav is into the attack. Can she get a wicket here? Finds her length straightaway. Slightly shorter, but defended by Lee, who cuts the second ball for a single. Short again, and Niekerk read that front-of-the-hand ball well. Cuts her for another single. Another single on the fourth ball, this time to square leg. Niekerk reverse sweeps fifth ball for a single and Yadav ends the over with a dot ball.

Getting a little darker, hopefully the rain stays away

Interestingly, No South African woman player has scored a fifty against India Women in T20Is yet.

After 7 overs South Africa 52/0 (Lee 20, van Niekerk 26)

Dhar to Niekerk. She starts with a boundary. South Africa bring up their fifty in this over too. Great start from them. India need a wicket now. Eight from that over.

FOUR! That’s poor fielding from India. Mithali Raj the culprit there. That was pitched outside off and Niekerk fetched it to square leg, where Raj mistimes her dive. Dhar, the bowler.

After 6 overs South Africa 44/0 (Lee 18, van Niekerk 20)

Here’s Vastrakar. Concedes a four first ball to Niekerk but good comeback thereafter as four consecutive dot balls suggest. India need a few quiet overs here. Single on the last ball and that ends the Powerplay as well.

FOUR! Niekerk goes inside-out to Vastrakar and gets the outside half of the bat. That runs away for another boundary.

After 5 overs South Africa 39/0 (Lee 18, van Niekerk 15)

First bowling change. Rajeshwari Gayakwad, slow left-arm is into the attack, and she has been taken apart here. Two fours and a six in that 15-run over.

SIX! What a shot. Full and flighted, and Lee gets underneath that to smoke it over midwicket.

FOUR! Lee gets into the act. Sweeps Gayakwad through midwicket with lot of authority.

FOUR! First ball from Gayakwad is full and slanting into Niekerk, who brings out a powerful sweep.

After 4 overs South Africa 24/0 (Lee 8, van Niekerk 10)

Here’s Dhar, and Niekerk dispatches her through midwicket first ball for a boundary. Dot ball and a single means five off first three balls. Smart batting this by the hosts. Draws Lee’s edge and there are no slips. Fumble at short-third means another single. Slow, loopy ball that is jammed out by Niekerk. She has a wry smile. Single to end the over.

FOUR! Dhar is greeted into her second over with a four by Van Niekerk. Across the line swipe again, there was a misfield by Vastrakar there. Bad bounce, maybe. But it’s the boundary that counts.

After 3 overs South Africa 17/0 (Lee 7, van Niekerk 4)

Pooja continues. Two quick singles in first three balls. India can’t afford any laxity on the field. Full to Van Niekerk who swipes across the line, and that’s four leg-byes. Dot ball is followed by a single on the last ball.

After 2 overs South Africa 10/0 (Lee 6, van Niekerk 2)

Rumeli Dhar, right-arm medium is in for the second over.She is bowling to the rival skipper. Finds her line straightaway. Full and into Niekerk who drives to covers for no run. Back of length and not much bounce, and Niekerk fails to connect her cut.Third-man comes in now. Wicketkeeper is up too. Nice wicket-to-wicket line and she almost bowls Niekerk. Conceded a boundary to Lee and a single on the next ball ends the over.

Rumeli Dhar last played a T20I for India before today was in 2011.

It was against West Indies Women in Ahmedabad.

Dan van Niekerk is one of the three South African players to have scored 1000-plus runs in Women’s T20Is.

The other two are Mignon du Preez and Trisha Chetty.

This is the third time that India are playing a bilateral T20I series of more than three matches.

However, they lost on both occasions previously. 

1. Against West Indies Women in 2012 by 2-3
2. Against Australia Women in 2012 by 1-4

FOUR! That’s a full toss from Dhar and it’s a no-ball. Lee pulls her to vacant leg side.

After 1 over South Africa 2/0 (Lee 1, van Niekerk 1)

Lizelle Lee and skipper Dane van Niekerk to open for South Africa. Pooja Vastrakar, right-arm medium-pacer to start proceedings for India. Back of length and on off to start. Lee nudges her to point and they open the account. Same spot to Van Niekerk, who lets it go through to the keeper. Goes full next ball and the skipper drives it to cover.Tidy start so far from Pooja. Back of length and in the channel is the fourth ball, and she plays it to point for no run. Single on the fifth ball to covers. That was slightly fuller. Dot to end the over, and that’s a steady first over.

All set for action

The national anthems are done. The teams will make way in the middle soon. This, as they say, promises to be a cracker!

South Africa XI

South Africa Women (Playing XI): Lizelle Lee(w), Dane van Niekerk(c), Sune Luus, Mignon du Preez, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Marizanne Kapp, Shabnim Ismail, Masabata Klaas, Moseline Daniels, Raisibe Ntozakhe

The hosts are fielding an unchanged team.

Indian XI

Harmanpreet (C), Mandhana, Mithali Raj, Krishnamurthy, Gayakwad, Deepti Sharma, Rodrigues, Rumeli Dhar, Vastrakar, Bhatia (W), Poonam Yadav. 

Shikha Pandey and Anuja Patil dropped for Rumeli Dhar and Deepti Sharma respectively.

Indian skipper Harmanpreet confident

“We got success while chasing in first two games, so we want them to set a total. We learnt a lot from last game,” says the Indian captain.

After calling it right Harmanpreet Kaur has unsurprisingly has invited Proteas to bat first

India win toss

So the toss is done and India women have won it. They have decided to bowl first.

India look to seal series

Right then, it’s time. We should have toss anytime now. India would be looking to get their campaign back on track and seal the series today. South Africa, who came back strongly in Johannesburg, would be keen on squaring the five-match series.

India’s Mithali Raj speaks ahead of today’s T20I

Can both the Indian teams seal their series today?

Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s live blog of the fourth T20 international between South Africa and India

The hosts kept the 5-match series alive with a win in the third T20I. With the middle-order collapsing in the previous game, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur would like to change things in the penultimate game of what has been a successful tour so far as India eye double series win in the rainbow nation. Stay tuned for all the live score and updates as we build towards the toss.