South Africa entered the contest on the back of a heavy opening defeat to Australia and knew another loss would leave their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread ahead of a daunting showdown with powerhouse India on Sunday .
Dercksen responded in style, producing a crucial 52 off 35 balls and sharing a match-defining 76-run partnership with Nadine de Klerk as the Proteas chased down 127 to secure a vital victory.
Annerie Dercksen’s fighting knock helped South Africa secure a narrow win over Pakistan 👊
She wins the @aramco POTM award 🏅 pic.twitter.com/Z4xR7QVWMV
— ICC (@ICC) June 17, 2026
Named Player of the Match, Dercksen said the win was exactly what South Africa needed.
“It’s crucial,” she said. “It’s always nice to get some momentum with a win. We’re well aware that every game now is sort of do-or-die for us.
“We’re very happy that we could get some momentum going into the next game.”
Proteas Women hold nerve to beat Pakistan
Chasing a modest 127 for victory, South Africa lost early wickets before the Dercksen-De Klerk partnership. Even then, at at 107-6, the game was far from done but the Proteas managed to see the game through.
Pakistan’s spinners made life difficult on a challenging surface and South Africa were pushed all the way in Birmingham.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a concern,” said Dercksen. “I’m more proud of the fact that we were able to pull it through.
“It was a tough wicket. I thought their spinners bowled exceptionally well and we probably lost a couple of wickets at crucial stages. But all in all, we’re still very confident that we’re a phenomenal batting line-up.”
Dercksen’s aggressive approach against the spinners proved decisive, particularly after South Africa had stumbled early in the chase.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to play a lot of teams from the subcontinent recently and Pakistan toured South Africa earlier this year,” she said.
“Maybe without realising it, you’ve got to work on your game against spin. It was something I made a conscious effort about and I’m very happy that it paid off today.”
The all-rounder also backed the decision to promote her to No 3, despite the move failing in the opening defeat to Australia.
“I’ve been doing it for a while in ODI cricket, so it hasn’t been too foreign to me,” she said.
“I’m happy to bat wherever the team needs me. There are going to be games where it doesn’t pay off, but I’m fortunate that it came off.”
Proteas Women T20 World Cup Fixtures
21 June: South Africa vs India, Old Trafford (3:30pm)
25 June: South Africa vs Netherlands, Bristol County Ground, Bristol (7:30pm)
28 June: South Africa vs Bangladesh, Lord’s, London (11:30am)
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
