England 371 for 7 (Beaumont 119, Khaka 2-64) beat South Africa 262 (Tryon 70, Davidson-Richards 3-35) with 109 runs
As was the case throughout the series, they offered too much width and were ill-disciplined, sending a total of four no-balls and 15 wides and conceding 47 fours and three sixes – 206 runs in the boundaries. By comparison, England’s attack was beaten for 30 fours and four sixes – 144 runs.
Perhaps even the best efforts of the South African attack could not have stopped Beaumont, who was a victim of England’s youth policy for the coming T20Is, but who showed the value she adds with a collection of authority. Beaumont and opening partner Lamb brought out the cut and tremendous drive to transfer England’s fifty in the ninth and finish the Powerplay at 66 without a loss.
Lamb was at 54 when she launched Mlab too long-on, where Andrie Steyn landed a simple catch. On the next delivery, Beaumont, who had just reached fifty, offered Mlab a return catch, which was dropped. And at the end of that over, Chetty forfeited an easy run-out opportunity when Lamb went out for a single that wasn’t there, Wolvaardt hit a flat pitch and Chetty didn’t cash in cleanly. As if that didn’t hurt enough, England rubbed it in as they took 26 runs from the next two overs, including Beaumont hitting Tryon over the screen six times.
South Africa had some joy when Lamb tried to round out Shabnim Ismail and instead lost her from the stump, fell for 65 and finished as the leading run scorer of the series with 234 at 78.00. The dismissal didn’t slow Beaumont though – she flashed, drove and pulled Ismail for three straight boundaries to get England halfway through at 172 for 1.
Wolvaardt started the answer strongly and made the biggest contribution to an opening score of 61 runs with Andrie Steyn. Dean pitched Steyn to make the first breakthrough, but South Africa finished the Powerplay at 69 for 1, with Wolvaardt well set. She brought out fifty with her 10th limit, a creaky cover drive, but her poor conversational rhythm took another hit when she got stuck on the trail and played the sweep against Dean too early.
Kapp and Tryon held them in with a 110-run fifth-wicket and England might have worried about 219 for 4 in the 36th when Lamb offered breadth, Kapp went for a big hit and sent a catch straight to the run. South Africa lost their last six wickets for 43 runs and were bowled out with 4.2 left.