Benoni, April 28 (IANS) Laura Wolvaardt continued her record-breaking form with an unbeaten 92 off 56 balls to help South Africa women hand India Women a 23-run defeat in the fifth T20I and completed a 4-1 victory in the five-match series at the Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Monday.

Electing to bat first, Wolvaardt hammered 11 boundaries and two sixes as she came up with another brilliant performance, raising 75 runs for the partnership for the opening wicket with Sune Luus, who contributed a run-a-ball 23, hitting two boundaries and one six in the fifth and final match of the series.

Chasing a modest total, India lost early wickets and despite a fighting 40 by Bharti Fulmali, could manage only 132, losing the match by 32 runs.

Wolvaardt kept one end going for South Africa Women, scoring runs at a brisk pace even though she lost partners at the other end. Her knock of 92 took her series tally to 330 runs — the most by any batter in a women’s T20I series.

India fought back after the opening partnership between Wolvaardt and Luus, claiming wickets in a heap to restrict them to a modest 155/8 in 20 overs.

For India, Renuka Singh, Shree Charani and Arundhati Reddy claimed two wickets apiece as India Women halted the rampaging South African Women from putting up a

The hosts then came back and prevented India Women, who had won the fourth ODI riding on a fine all-round performance and had a great chance of making it 2-3 in the series, from winning the fifth and final match.

India lost Shafali Verma, their best batter in the series, for four runs off five balls, handing a sharp catch to Chloe Tyson off Eliz-Mari Marx. From 12/1 it became 38/3 in the eighth over as Jemimah Rodrigues (1) and Anushka Sharma (17) fell to Ayabonga Khaka,

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (22) and Bharti Fulmali (40) fought a lone battle to keep India’s hopes alive. But neither could guide the team to victory, and they were both out as India slumped to 99/5. They eventually managed only 132/8 in their 20 overs and lost by 23 runs,

Brief scores:

South Africa Women 155/6 in 20 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 92 not out, Sune Luus 23; Renuka Singh 2-21, Shree Charani 2-22) beat India Women 132/8 in 20 overs (Bharti Fulmali 40, Richa Ghosh 25 not out; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-18, Nadine de Klerk 2-26) by 23 runs

–IANS

bsk/