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Pakistan women's all-rounder Nida Dar is optimistic about her team bouncing back in the series when they take on South Africa in the second ODI on Saturday.
The first ODI went down to the wire with the hosts securing a close three-run win after a brilliant fightback from Pakistan. "It was quite a thrilling match and the girls did not lose the fighting spirit till the last ball. It was our first international match after a long gap and overall we played good, competitive cricket," Nida told PCB Digital. "I think we squandered an opportunity to go 1-0 up in the series. Certainly, there were some gaps and we have had discussions on how we can plug them. We are now looking forward to the next match," she added. Nida hit a half-century in the first ODI and top-scored for Pakistan but was not able to take her side over the line. "It is certainly good to score runs as it gives you confidence going into matches. However, every day is a new day. This time, despite scoring a half-century, I was not able to take my team over the line, but it will not be the case the next time," she said. South Africa was well in the game right from the word go, but an incredible undefeated 60-run stand for the ninth-wicket between Nida and Diana Baig, who contributed an impressive 35 not out from 34 balls, kept the tourists in the contest. Their partnership went down as the highest for the ninth-wicket for Pakistan and the fourth highest in the history of women's game. "Our partnership was built on the fighting spirit and when we came together in the middle, we were discussing that we cannot let this game slip and we will battle till the very last ball," Nida said "Her feedback as a bowler helped me in the middle. We have never batted together for this long and it was incredible how her innings has instilled confidence in the team that we can bounce back from difficult moments," she signed off. (ANI)
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