AUSTRALIA has clinched the T20 portion of its multi format series with South Africa after winning last night’s third T20 by five wickets.

After the South Africans posted 7/162, the Australians reached the target with four balls to spare.

The start to the South African innings proved to be a costly one. They found themselves 3/28 after four overs, and even though they went on to make an 80 run fourth wicket partnership thanks to Anneke Bosch and Marizanne Kapp, that slow start curtailed their innings a bit.

Once Bosch and then subsequently Kapp got dismissed though, scoring dried up again a little so the tourists were not able to quite reach the heights Bosch and Kapp were looking like reaching.

Kapp was the true star with the bat though, making 75 while Bosch played her part to keep the strike turning over with 21, going at almost run a ball. Later in the innings Chloe Tryon also had a quick fire innings of 26 from 16 balls.

Meanwhile from the Australian side of things the wicket taking duties were shared very evenly, with no one picking up more than one wicket.

In reply the Australians made a steady progress towards the tally, but did not have any large partnerships early.

As their innings progressed, they slowly worked their way to be about a run a ball away from the target.

Then, a crucial overthrow from the South Africans helped get the Australians under a run a ball, and eventually thanks to some splendid batting from Ash Gardner, they only needed two runs off the last over, and only needed two balls of said over to do it.

Earlier in the innings it had been Beth Mooney who had been the star, fighting off a bad case of food poisoning to make 82. She was well supported at the back end of the innings by Gardner and her 26 not out from 17 balls.

Meanwhile the South Africans also spread the wicket taking duties, with no South Africans picking up multiple wickets either.