Masabata Klaas did all she could with the ball but at the end of the first day of the Protea Women's Test against Australia, the home side was well on top as the visitors wilted in the brutal Perth sunshine.
South Africa were bowled out for a paltry 76 (their lowest score in Test matches) at the Waca as the batters couldn't handle the Australian attack.
Darcie Brown was the destroyer-in-chief with a sublime 5/21 off 9.2 overs as her pace and accuracy was too much for the Protea batters to handle.
Anneke Bosch was the first to fall to Brown when she was caught behind by skipper Allyssa Healy, who won the toss and decided to bowl, for a three-ball duck.
SA skipper Laura Wolvaardt soon joined her back in the changeroom for three, caught in the slips by Beth Mooney off the fired-up Brown.
Tazmin Brits struggled for her five (off 48 balls) before she became Annabel Sutherland's first victim, trapped in front after putting on 28, the highest partnership of the innings, with Sune Luus.
Delmi Tucker fell next ball, bowled through the gate for a golden duck on debut as South Africa fell deeper into the mire at 33/4.
Luus top scored with 26 before Sutherland (3/19) had her caught at backward point by Sophie Molineux with the score on 41.
Mooney took her second catch in the slips when Tahlia McGrath (2/4) got rid of SA's last recognised batter, Nadine de Klerk, for five.
Sinalo Jafta's battle with the bat continued when she fell for a duck to McGrath, caught behind by Healy.
Nonkululeko Mlaba and Klaas got the team to lunch at least, sparing them that ignominy ... but the left-arm spinner didn't last long after the break as Brown came back into the attack and had her caught by McGrath off the toe of the bat with the score on 57.
Klaas and No 11, Ayanda Hlubi, fought hard but in the end Brown's pace did for the debutant as Hlubi was bowled for five while Klaas ended unbeaten on 10, the only other South African to reach double figures.
Her brave batting inspired Klaas (3/39) as she took the new ball and went to work, soon having Phoebe Litchfield caught at third slip by Bosch for four.
Ellyse Perry (three) and McGrath (naught) soon followed, both caught behind by Jafta off Klaas and suddenly there was a spring in the step of the fielding side at 12/3.
But the heat (42°C) stopped Klaas and Hlubi from continuing their spells and first-change bowlers Bosch (0/30 in four overs) and De Klerk (1/41) bowled too many loose balls and were punished by the imperious Mooney and Healy.
They motored past the South African score and plundered the attack, ending on 251/5 with Mooney getting 78 before being caught by Luus at slip off De Klerk, who finished the day strongly, after a 155-run partnership with Healy, who reached her highest Test score before being caught and bowled by Tucker (1/23) for 99, agonisingly short of her first Test ton.
Sutherland ended 54 not out with Ashleigh Gardner yet to get off the mark as Australia took complete control, finishing 175 runs in front.
Not having Marizanne Kapp available for selection (due to illness) certainly hurt the Proteas with both bat and ball while the non-selection of allrounder Eliz-Mari Marx has come back to bite the team.
At the Waca, Marx's seam bowling would have been more effective than Tucker's spin, although she did get some good turn when she finally got a chance to bowl her offies, while she can certainly deliver with the bat.
Tomorrow is another day but the South Africans will need to up their game to make sure this isn't a massacre.
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