South Africa were eyeing a 3-0 clean sweep, but persistent lightning and rain on the Highveld meant Wednesday’s clash at Willowmoore Park never got underway. Still, the dominant 105-run win at Newlands in Cape Town and the 65-run triumph at Boland Park in Paarl had already done more than enough to secure the team’s first series win on home soil in quite some time.

Speaking after the abandoned match, captain Laura Wolvaardt admitted that the side was disappointed not to play, especially with a strong local crowd ready to cheer them on, but she emphasised that the series result remained the big takeaway.

“Yeah, disappointed not to get on today - we were really looking forward to playing in Benoni in front of a nice crowd,” said Wolvaardt.

“It’s unfortunate, but I’m very pleased with the series win. It’s been a while since we had a series win on home soil, so I’m excited and happy that we could start our campaign after the World Cup with a win.”

The Proteas’ batting was especially explosive in the opening two matches, posting 220/2 at Newlands and 201/5 in Paarl - a point Wolvaardt highlighted with pride.

Faye Tunnicliffe - Cricinfo

“Getting 200s back-to-back is pretty special - I think we’ve only done it once before in our history, so to do it twice in a row is impressive,” she added, having smashed 115* off 56 balls at Newlands.

“We had some great individual performances too - Suné Luus as Player of the Series, Dané van Niekerk’s strong comeback, and lots of different batters chipping in to push us past 200. Our bowlers also created opportunities, and the spinners bowled well, so I’m really pleased overall.”

After reaching their first-ever Women’s Cricket World Cup final in November, the Proteas continue to carry themselves with confidence - and Wolvaardt is optimistic ahead of the upcoming WODI series against the Irish, which starts this weekend.

Dané van Niekerk - Cricinfo

“I’m very excited for the ODI series to start - it’s a format we’ve played a lot recently, but this is a bit of a new-look squad compared to the World Cup,” said Wolvaardt, who piled up a record 571 runs at the Cricket World Cup in India.

“There are a couple of new bowlers, so as captain I’ll chat to them about their plans. I’m looking forward to seeing the depth in our system, with some youngsters getting great opportunities.

“Ireland are a very good side and will bounce back hard, so we’ll have to be at our best.”

The first Women’s One-Day International takes place on Saturday in East London, with the opening delivery at Buffalo Park scheduled for 10:00.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport