It was the perfect response after Saturday’s narrow defeat at the Wanderers Stadium, where South Africa did little wrong but still came up short - a reminder that cricket can be a cruel game at times.

Batting first at Willowmoore Park, South Africa posted 155/6 in their 20 overs, powered by a magnificent unbeaten 92 off 56 balls from captain Laura Wolvaardt.

Wolvaardt was in sublime touch, striking 11 fours and two sixes as she anchored the innings with composure and class. Her tally of 330 runs across the five-match series is the highest ever by a batter in a single women’s T20I series - a remarkable feat that underlines her consistency and leadership.

She found support from Suné Luus with 23 off 23 at a run-a-ball, and Sinalo Jafta, who added a handy 16* off just eight balls late in the innings.

India’s best efforts with the ball came from Renuka Singh with 2/21 and Shree Charani with 2/22.

It was a record-breaking series for the Proteas skipper Laura Wolvaardt - CSA

In reply, India were restricted to 132/8, despite threatening at stages. Bharti Fulmali looked dangerous with 40 off 30 balls, but her dismissal in the 16th over proved the turning point.

Richa Ghosh with 25* and captain Harmanpreet Kaur 22 tried to keep the chase alive, but the target ultimately proved out of reach due to some very disciplined bowling by the South Africans.

Nonkululeko Mlaba was outstanding with the ball, returning 2/15 in her four overs, while Nadine de Klerk chipped in with a crucial 2/26 to halt India’s momentum.

Nonkululeko Mlaba took 2/15 in her four overs - Cricinfo

Despite the win, Wolvaardt felt her side left a few runs out in the middle.

“One of our main goals is to have a batter set at the end and to build big partnerships, and I think we lacked that a bit,” said Wolvaardt, who was named as the Player of the Match, and Player of the Series.

With just one strong stand, we could have pushed to around 165. We felt 150 was about par, maybe slightly under, especially on a tricky wicket with inconsistent bounce.”

She also acknowledged the pressure created by regular wickets, but lauded the response from the bowler in defending the somewhat modest total.

Laura Wolvaardt scored 330 runs in the series, including 115 at the Wanderers - Cricinfo

“I did feel like we lost momentum at times and got a bit stuck, especially with wickets falling at the other end which created pressure.

But overall, getting to 155 was still a decent effort, and I’m really proud of how the bowlers went about defending it on a tough pitch.”

The Proteas now turn their attention to the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in England and Wales, where fine-tuning and squad clarity will be key in the build-up.

South Africa will open their campaign on 13 June against Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport