Nashra Sandhu has scripted history in the 3rd ODI against South Africa, led by skipper Laura Wolvaardt at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The 27-year-old left-arm spinner becomes only the third Pakistani bowler, after Sana Mir and Nida Dar, to claim 100 wickets in Women’s One-Day Internationals (W-ODIs).
For a player who debuted against South Africa in Colombo in February 2017, the milestone during the home ODI series against the same opposition could not be more poetic. She did just achieve that but went on to have a dream day on the field, claiming her maiden 5-wicket haul in the format, finishing with breath-taking figures of 9-2-26-6 in her spell.
After being wicket-less in the first couple of games in the series, she made a sensational comeback, running through the South African batting order in the blink of an eye, after the skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, won the toss and opted to bat first, in Lahore.
She bagged the scalp of Miane Smit to claim her 100th ODI wicket in the 11th over of the innings. Her returns in the 3rd ODI are also the 2nd best by a Pakistan bowler after Sanjjida Shah (7/4) in the format. Her victims in the game include Sune Luus, Miane Smit, Sinalo Jafta, Anneke Bosch, Chloe Tryon, and Nadine de Klerk. South Africa were wrapped up at 115 in the 26th over of the innings.
Since her debut, Nashra has been a vital cog in Pakistan’s spin department, claiming 104 wickets across 75 matches (74 innings) at an average of 26.98 and an economy rate of 4.28. Her reliability stems from her ability to combine control with subtle variations that trouble both right-handers and left-handers.
While she has also secured her maiden five-wicket haul in the format with an exceptional performance in the 3rd ODI against South Africa, her two four-wicket returns to go along with it underline her capacity to turn matches in her team’s favour.
Her standout performance in an ODI World Cup came against India at the County Ground in Derby during the 2017 Women’s World Cup, where she returned superb figures of 10-1-26-4 even as Pakistan faltered in pursuit of victory. That spell remains one of her career-defining performances, especially on the global stage.
With Pakistan currently hosting South Africa for the 3rd and final game of the series in Lahore, the stakes are high. In the opening ODI at the Gaddafi Stadium on 16 September, Nashra went wicketless in her full quota of ten overs, conceding 61 runs as South Africa chased down Pakistan’s 256 with eight wickets and ten balls to spare.
Come 19 September, in the second ODI under lights at the same venue, Nashra once again went wicketless (10-0-50-0) in her spell, arriving like a calm before bursting like the storm in the 3rd ODI, leading the spin charge, etching her name alongside Sana Mir (151 wickets) and Nida Dar (104 wickets and counting) in Pakistan’s elite ODI wicket-takers list.
As she crosses the milestone today, Nashra’s achievement is not just statistical; it is symbolic of Pakistan’s growing depth in women’s cricket. For more than a decade, the burden of spin was largely carried by seniors like Sana Mir and, later, Nida Dar. Nashra’s rise has ensured a smooth transition, making Pakistan less reliant on a single match-winner. Her accuracy in the middle overs and knack for breaking partnerships have added much-needed balance to the bowling attack.
This milestone carries even greater significance with the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 around the corner. Beginning on 30 September in India and Sri Lanka, the tournament offers Nashra another global stage to showcase her skills.
Pakistan open their campaign on 2 October against Bangladesh in Colombo, and a landmark entry into the 100-wicket club has provided both morale and confidence boost ahead of the showpiece event. Nashra’s ability to keep things tight on batting-friendly subcontinental surfaces could make her one of the key bowlers for Pakistan during the tournament.
At just 27, Nashra still has many years ahead of her in international cricket. Joining the 100-wicket club so early in her career suggests that Mir and Dar’s records are not beyond her reach in the long run. With continued consistency, she could well become Pakistan’s all-time leading ODI wicket-taker in the years to come.
For now, though, all eyes will shift back to Lahore to see whether Pakistan can seal the game after Nashra Sandhu’s career-best showing that secured her a place in Pakistan’s cricketing history books.
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