Wolvaardt leads South Africa to a historic victory over Australia

In the second Twenty20 International in Canberra, South Africa's women defeated Australia for the first time ever, winning by six wickets.

On Sunday, they bowled well enough to restrict the hosts to a below-average total of 142 for 6, which they managed to reach with six balls remaining, led by captain Laura Wolvaardt's undefeated half-century.

At Manuka Oval, Australia made scoring look difficult, but South Africa's early players rapidly established the foundation they required to secure the historic victory.

After the tourists lost 3 for 22, Wolvaardt (58 not out) and Tazmin Brits (41) added 75 for the first wicket, with the former remaining to negotiate a potentially difficult final stanza.

It was the first time South Africa had won the 24 women's cricket matches between the two countries, including ODIs and T20Is. They had never been closer than in a tied ODI in 2016. Following Australia's victory in the opening match on Saturday, the outcome on Sunday also squared the multi-format series.

In light of the T20 World Cup in October, Wolvaardt recognized the potential value of the outcome for her team.

We obviously wanted to change the fact that we had never defeated them in any format or game, so it's very special that we did it in their own backyard, she said.

"This new dynamic young team beating the World Champions is something very special and something that hopefully can change our mindset, especially with a lot of senior players retiring in the last few years." Hopefully, we can win them more frequently now that the voodoo is a little less faulty.

After her team went from 109 for 1 to 110 for 3 in three balls, Wolvaardt saw a mini-collapse, but she steadied the ship and hit her half-century to lead them to victory.

The British player, who made 59 runs without conceding a wicket on Saturday, kept up her impressive form by hitting eight fours in a single over.

Expectations were high for Australia after they won the toss and chose to bat first, as they had successfully chased down 147 for 6 on Saturday without needing to shift into second gear.

However, in a stuttering performance, they were unable to find openings or deliver big blows; the only players who appeared at ease at the crease were captain Alyssa Healy (29 off 24 balls) and Grace Harris (31 not out off 18).

            

Masabata Klass, a fast bowler, was especially dangerous, taking two wickets for sixteen runs in three overs. In the middle overs, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon, spinners, tied the score.

A critical period between the 13th and 18th overs saw South Africa hold the hosts without a boundary for 29 balls due to their oppressive pressure.

For the second straight game, Tahlia McGrath struggled to score quickly, managing just 23 off 28 deliveries. Ellyse Perry had a similar experience (18 off 19 balls).

With three fours and a six in her undefeated thirty-one, Harris gave Australia something to defend as they took eighteen runs off Khaka's last over of the innings.

The current world champions have lost four of their last five games when batting first, a trend Harris suggested her team may want to investigate.

"As a batting group, you can consider how you're getting the extra boundary ball in the over, as chasing has the necessary number on the board."

Perhaps a minor adjustment here or there is necessary, or perhaps we just need to learn from the previous conditions or adjust our strategy to play a little more aggressively and score a few more runs.

Results:

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