England claimed a comprehensive 286-run victory in the one-off Test in Bloemfontein after overwhelming South Africa by 64 runs in the second innings – their lowest total in women’s Tests.

The success is England’s first Test win in more than a decade – the last came against Australia in Perth in January 2014 – and Heather Knight’s first as captain (she had previously experienced four draws and two defeats).

Knight fell 10 runs short of a third Test century in the afternoon session, caught on the left side of the body by Nonkululeko Mlaba, but that result will surely please her as much as reaching that personal milestone – especially with an Ashes Test at the MCG only took six weeks away.

“We will travel to Australia with a lot of confidence and belief in what we can do as a team,” Knight said. “After the disappointment at the World Cup, it was a really important tour for us. To come away from home, lose just one game, win both white-ball series and win a Test is a monumental achievement.”

South Africa had fought hard in the first two sessions to beat England by 236, but suffered a shocking collapse in the evening session.

Player of the match Lauren Bell added four more wickets to take her match tally to eight and opened South Africa’s funeral procession by trapping Laura Wolvaardt lbw as she once again used her new wobbly ball to great effect. “Performances like this give me a lot of confidence that I’m on the right path,” said Bell.

Less than two hours later, Bell beat Mlaba with a direct hit from middle to end the innings and the game. The fact that Mlaba missed her mark simply because she didn’t bother to put her bat on the ground was a clear sign of the demoralized state of the South African camp.

It was a disappointing end to a day in which the left-arm spinner had previously become the first South African to take 10 wickets in a women’s Test – the result of England’s own collapse, which saw them lose their last six wickets for 54 runs, thanks to some reckless shooting over the Line. Marizanne Kapp was unable to bowl due to strain, while seamer Ayanda Hlubi was ruled out with a hip injury, but Mlaba shouldered the burden bravely. The problem was that England’s lead had already grown to 350 by the time everyone was out half an hour before tea: the highest successful fourth-innings run-chase in the Women’s Tests is just 198.

Under the pressure, four of the South African batters fell to their left: in the absence of DRS, the spotlight was on the umpires. But perhaps the most controversial moment was when Annerie Dercksen appeared to beat an apparently clean catch from Tammy Beaumont at short leg and the umpires sent the decision up, causing widespread confusion. According to Knight, the report was about whether it was a push ball, but South Africa coach Mandla Mashimbyi said he was confused about it: “There was no communication and I didn’t understand why. “It was pretty bizarre.”

There are fears that Cricket South Africa could review the result, regret the controversy and conclude that future women’s Tests are not worth the risk. However, Mashimbyi said he was “passionate” about the format: “DRS is above my pay grade but I will make sure we expose our players to more red-ball stuff.”

In any case, the raucous celebrations in England are proof that Test cricket is as important to women as it is to men. “The girls are absolutely thrilled,” Knight said. “To do what we did today is very special.”