South Africa 155 for 6 (Wolvaardt 92*, Renuka 2-21, Charani 2-22) beat India 132 for 8 (Fulmali 40, Mlaba 2-15, de Klerk 2-26) by 23 runs
After limiting South Africa to 155 for 6, India never really got going in the chase. They had only one partnership over 23 and Bharti Fulmali’s 40 kept them in the game but they will consider themselves comprehensively outplayed.
A year older and in the form of her life
Wolvaardt celebrated her 27th birthday on Sunday and is only getting better. She held South Africa together with her fourth fifty-plus score in the series and sixth in her last seven internationals. All the words that could have been used to describe Wolvaardt’s run may well have been written.
From being a predominantly off-side player, she has opened up the leg-side, as she did for her first boundary, off a short ball and through square leg. Her strike rate sits well over 100 and this half-century came off 30 balls. She finished on 92* off 56 balls. Perhaps the shot that defined this knock was the full-blooded thunk off Shafali in the 14th over, that Jemimah Rodrigues winded herself trying to catch. South Africa were 97 for 3 at that point and the brakes were starting to be applied.
But India all over the rest of the home line-up
Chloe takes her catches until she doesn’t
Drops have been a feature of this series as India put down 12 and South Africa 11 but among the fumbles, there were some good grabs. Tryon was responsible for the first three as South Africa began their defence well. The hardest came first when she was stationed at short fine and Shafali swept hard but straight at her. Tryon fell over but held on to a good catch. Then, she was at deep square leg when Jemimah Rodrigues pulled a short Ayabonga Khaka delivery in her area. Tryon had to run forward and judged the take well. She also made some ground for her third, when Anushka holed out to long-on.
India were 38 for 3 in the eighth over. They recovered thanks to a 38-run fourth-wicket stand between Harmanpreet Kaur and Fulmali, who went on to make 40. Tryon dismissed Fulmali lbw and just when it seemed she could not put a foot wrong, dropped Richa Ghosh on four around mid-off. Ghosh went on to finish unbeaten on 25*.
Jafta all but finishes off
Tryon’s drop might have left South Africa wondering if they’d opened a door for India but Sinalo Jafta shut it. After Ghosh hit de Klerk for back to back fours and then got off strike, Jafta was up to the task when Deepti advanced on de Klerk and was beaten. Jafta collected the offcutter and broke the stumps at lightning speed, in an illustration of how her keeping has evolved. Jafta faces pressure from Karabo Meso (out of this squad injured) and Tebogo Macheke, who did not get a game this series, but showed why she remains South Africa’s No.1 behind the stumps.
