The wait continues. South Africa's heroic women fell on the wrong side of history at an electric Newlands on Sunday, losing a thrilling T20 World Cup final to the powerhouse Australians by 19 runs. SCORECARD | World Cup final: Australia v South Africa It was always going to be a tough ask against a side that has now competed in seven straight T20 World Cup finals, winning six of them, but the Proteas fought with all they had from start to finish. It was not the result they or the 14 000 crammed into this iconic cricket venue wanted, but this group had already achieved something that no other South African team - men or women, T20 or 50-overs - could before. This was the first time a senior Proteas had ever contested an ICC World Cup final, and there was a real belief that they could pull off the improbable. Nobody had backed them in their semi-final against England two days before, but the momentum had gathered since then, and that was largely down to the South African cricket public that fully bought in. It would have been a fairytale ending, but despite Laura Wolvaardt's (61 off 48) best efforts, the Proteas could not chase down the 157 they needed for victory. They were 137/6 at the end of their 20 overs. After 10 overs in their chase, South Africa were 52/2, needing another 105. It was not an encouraging equation, and with every dot ball that came after, the likelihood of a heartbreaking defeat grew just a little bit more. The crowd, though, emptied the tank. "We want more, we want more, we want more!" they bellowed collectively after a huge Wolvaardt six in the 11th over, when the Proteas needed more than two runs per ball. When Wolvaardt was eventually out LBW in the 17th over, she had carried the hopes of a nation on her shoulders as far as she possibly could. At that stage, the hosts needed 48 off 21. It was game over. Beth Mooney's 74* (53) was the platform that Australia's total was based on, but South Africa would still have been pleased with their position at the innings break after a fielding performance that was gutsy, committed and largely clinical. Fans had queued outside the stadium hours before 15:00, and by the time the first ball was bowled, Newlands was bouncing. Every South African dot ball was greeted by a roar that one might normally expect from a wicket. South Africans were up for this, hoping for a performance for the ages and a celebration like no other. The sun was baking down on Cape Town, though it did not shine on South Africa's skipper Sune Luus at the toss. Had Luus won, she would almost certainly have opted to bat first, as she had against England in the semi-final, and looked to post a competitive total and then squeeze through scoreboard pressure. Instead, Australian captain Meg Lanning had no hesitation in opting to make first use of the wicket, and the favourites were comfortable in the early overs before Marizanne Kapp brought the house down by removing the dangerous Alyssa Healy (18 off 20) with a short ball that was snapped up by Nadine de Klerk. It was the injection the Proteas, and their fans, needed, and there was a noticeable, immediate increase in energy and intensity. Australia were 36/1 at the end of the powerplay - Shabnim Ismail followed up Kapp's wicket with a maiden over - and the Proteas would have taken that, given their wobbly start. The South African fielders were throwing themselves around, putting their bodies on the line to stop absolutely everything, and the crowd showed their appreciation every time. Australia, though, knew not to panic. Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner (29 off 21), in at No 3, started to wrestle the momentum back their way, and the favourites were 73/1 after 10. Luus then held her nerve, taking a very tidy catch at long-off in the 12th over as Chloe Tryon lured Gardner into a false shot, and the Proteas had their second. It was a strong hustle from the hosts from then on. Australia tried to power themselves into a position of authority, and while they were able to find the fence regularly given their quality, the Proteas scrapped, picking up wickets at key intervals. Their ground fielding was exceptional, while Luus was shrewd with both her bowling changes and fielding placement. By the time they were done, Australia had Mooney to thank for posting 156/6 - a score that the Proteas would surely have been pleased with after they had lost the toss. They had posted 164 in their semi-final against England, after all, but the cauldron of a World Cup final would provide a different mental challenge entirely. It was not to be. Tryon (25 off 23) was her side's last hope, and she provided a moment or two of brief promise, but the Australian mountain at that stage was simply too steep to climb. .