South Africa’s women beat Australia for the first time ever, claiming a six-wicket win in the second T20I in Canberra.

Quality bowling on Sunday helped them hold the hosts to a below-par total of 142 for 6, a total they tracked down with six balls to spare thanks to captain Laura Wolvaardt’s  unbeaten half-century.

Australia made scoring look tough at Manuka Oval, but South Africa’s openers quickly built the platform they needed to claim the historic win.

Wolvaardt (58 not out) and Tazmin Brits (41) added 75 for the first wicket, the former still there to negotiate a potentially tricky final stanza after the tourists lost 3 for 22.

It was the 24th time the two nations have met in women’s cricket – across ODIs and T20Is – and the first time South Africa have been victorious. A tied ODI in 2016 was the closest they had come previously. Sunday’s result also squared the multi-format series after Australia won Saturday’s opening contest.

Wolvaardt acknowledged what a stepping-stone the result could be for her team as they look towards October’s T20 World Cup.

“It’s very special, obviously having never beaten them before in any format or game is something we were looking to change and to do it in their own backyard is incredibly special,” she said.

“Especially just with a lot of senior players retiring in the past few years…to have this new dynamic young team just obviously beating the World Champions is something very special and something that hopefully can change our mindset. Hopefully the voodoo is a bit broken now and we can win them on a more regular basis.”

Wolvaardt witnessed a mini-collapse when her side fell from 109 for 1 to 110 for 3 in the space of three balls, but steadied things and brought up her half-century to steer them to victory.

Brits, who carried her bat through Saturday’s innings in making 59 not out, continued to sizzle, cracking eight fours in another brilliant knock.

After winning the toss and batting, expectations were high for Australia after they had chased down 147 for 6 in Saturday’s contest without getting out of second gear.

But they struggled to find gaps or land big blows in a stuttering display, with captain Alyssa Healy (29 off 24 balls) and Grace Harris (31 not out off 18) the only players who looked comfortable at the crease.

Pace bowler Masabata Klass was particularly dangerous, taking 2 for 16 from three overs, while spin duo Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon tied things down in the middle overs

Such was South Africa’s suffocating pressure that they held the hosts without a boundary for 29 balls in a crucial period between the 13th and 18th overs.

Tahlia McGrath struggled to score quickly for a second straight game, making 23 off 28 deliveries. It was a similar story for Ellyse Perry (18 off 19 balls).

Harris hit three fours and a six in her unbeaten 31, with Australia taking 18 runs off Khaka’s final over of the innings to give themselves something to defend.

Four of the reigning world champions’ last five losses have come when batting first, a statistic Harris said her side might need to look into.

“Chasing, you’ve got the number on the board that you need, and so as a batting group, you can think about how you’re getting the extra boundary ball in the over,” she said.

“Maybe there might be a little tweak here or there, or just a learning on conditions earlier or how we’re going to play a bit more aggressive and get a few more runs on the board. But not too much needs to change I don’t think.”

Scores:
South Africa Women  144 for 4 in 19 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 58*, Tazmin Brits 41, Marizanne Kapp 20; Ashleigh Gardner 2-26) beat Australia Women 142 for 6 in 20 overs (Alyssa Healey 29, Tahlia McGrath 23, Grace Harris 31*; Masabata Klass 2-16) by six wickets

(Cricinfo)