England romped to a 286-run win over South Africa on day three of the one-off Test in Bloemfontein as they skittled the Proteas for their lowest score of 64.
The hosts were demolished in 19.4 overs chasing a record 351 at Mangaung Oval, slipping to 33-6 inside 14 as Lauren Bell (4-27) and Lauren Filer (1-12) caused havoc with the new ball and all-rounders Nadine de Klerk and Chloe Tryon were dismissed for ducks.
The lack of DRS in this match was once again a talking point with Annerie Dercksen (9) given out caught at short leg by the third umpire despite the absence of UltraEdge technology to prove she had hit Bell’s delivery into Tammy Beaumont’s hands.
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt (4) and opening partner Anneke Bosch (4) were out lbw to Bell and Filer respectively, while Dercksen’s controversial exit was followed by Bell bowling Sune Luus through the gate for one with a beauty that pinged off stump.
When De Klerk was run out via a combination of Danni Wyatt-Hodge and wicketkeeper Amy Jones and Tryon was pinned in front by premier England spinner Sophie Ecclestone (2-7 from 4.4 overs), it was a matter of if and not when the tourists clinched victory.
The winning moment came when Nonkululeko Mlaba (14) was run out by Bell at the non-striker’s end after failing to ground her bat, with South Africa No 11 Ayanda Hlubi unable to take the field due to injury, handing England their first Test win in a decade.
Marizanne Kapp top-scored for South Africa with 21 – only she and Mlaba made double figues – while Player of the Match Bell also removed Sinalo Jafta (0) leg before for her eighth wicket in the Test.
A Proteas collapse of 7-44 mirrored their first-innings failure when they tumbled from 237-3 to 281 all out in reply to England’s 395-9 declared to trail by a mammoth 114 runs.
Heather Knight’s England add success in the Test to their 3-0 sweep in the T20 series and 2-1 win in the ODI leg and will now head to Australia after Christmas for the Women’s Ashes full of confidence.
South Africa were 12-2 on the stroke of tea after Bell and Filer dismissed Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch respectively lbw
England had earlier been dismissed for 236 in their second innings, with Knight (90) falling 10 runs short of what would have been a third Test hundred, after her 168 against Australia in Canberra in 2022 and 157 against the same opposition on home soil back in 2013.
Knight was one of six second-innings wickets for Mlaba as the spinner backed up her four strikes first time around and claimed the first 10-for by a South Africa woman in Tests.
It was just a shame for Mlaba that her heroics came in such a dispiriting defeat.
South Africa spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba took six wickets in the second innings for 10 in the match
Mlaba sizzles but South Africa slump
Mlaba clinched her 10-wicket haul with a beautiful delivery that cleaned up Ryana MacDonald-Gay (4) through the gate, while she also accounted for Knight and Ecclestone (16) lbw on the sweep, bowled Nat Sciver-Brunt (37) and had Jones (24) and Charlie Dean (1) caught.
Sciver-Brunt was dropped off Mlaba by wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta on 19 and went on to strike the spinner for three boundaries later in the same over and one more in her next before chopping on as she looked to cut a delivery that skidded through low.
After being dropped on 19, 18 runs and three boundaries later, Nonkululeko Mlaba gets her revenge on Nat Sciver-Brunt
Knight, who began day three 19 not out and with her team 31-1 in their second innings, notched her fifth Test fifty from 99 balls, and went on to share a stand of 67 with Sciver-Brunt after Beaumont (12) was trapped lbw by Tumi Sekhukhune.
Wyatt-Hodge sliced Sekhukhune to short third for 23, while Filer was last out for England, spooning De Klerk to midwicket.
Filer then had an early say with the ball as she and Bell ripped through the top order and South Africa never recovered.
The Proteas were well beaten in the end and can look to that first-innings batting slump and loose bowling on the first day as big reasons, although will also point to being stuffed by the lack of DRS.
The Dercksen drama on Tuesday came after Beaumont was fortunate to avoid being dismissed lbw by Marizanne Kapp from the second ball on day one and Wolvaardt was adjudged lbw to Ecclestone a day later despite feeling she had inside edged the delivery.
England in South Africa – full schedule
T20 series (England won 3-0)
ODI series (England won 2-1)
One-off Test
- Bloemfontein – England won by 286 runs
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