IRE vs SA 2024/25, IRE vs SA 3rd ODI match report, October 7, 2024

Ireland Batting 284 for 9 (Stirling 88, Tector 60, Williams 4-56). South Africa 215 (Smith 91, Hume 3-29, Young 3-40) for 69 runs

Ireland won the toss for the first time in the series and produced their best batting performance before their bowlers made the most of the friendly conditions under lights

In the last two ODIs, Ireland have had to bear the brunt of batting under the lights and suffering collapses. But on Monday South Africa discovered how different it was to finish second in Abu Dhabi.

With the new ball swaying significantly more under lights than in the last two games (the broadcast showed an average swing of 2.1 degrees on Monday compared to 1.1 in the previous two games), Ireland's quicks made early progress after their Batters had brought them to a competitive total. Mark Adair got Ryan Rickelton to edge to the slip line in the first over and trapped Rassie van der Dussen in front three overs later.

There was further resistance between Smith and Andile Phehlukwayo but the latter fended off a pull to fine leg to give Fionn Hand a maiden ODI wicket on debut.

Smith then took the lead, playing confidently on the offside but losing partners on the other side. Bjorn Fortuin remained standing before being bowled by left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys. Young then let Williams run the ball to the goalkeeper as he tried to shoot up a short ball.

Smith also bowled Young and Adair down the leg side for a couple of sixes after scoring his first half-century for the national team. He started his eighties when he hit a powerful shot past long-on Adair in the 43rd over before flicking it through mid-wicket for another boundary. He finished it off by hitting the fast bowler wide long-on as he quickly moved into the nineties.

But Adair had the last laugh when he caught Smith at deep point to end his resistance as the batter sliced ​​a wide yorker from Hume. He hit nine fours and four sixes in his 93-ball knock, which followed a duck on ODI debut. Hume secured victory when he left Lungi Ngidi behind with 23 balls to go.

Ireland built their success on the back of Stirling and Andy Balbirnie's first 100-plus ODI partnerships. They made the most of the good conditions on a fresh pitch, with Stirling starting the first half with a powerful covering attack against Ngidi. There were a few crosses that either went into the gaps or went unused as Ireland's openers saw through the power play.

Stirling even took on South Africa's best bowler of the series, Lizaad Williams, and hit a six for him. Balbirnie started slower and took his time to settle in. It wasn't until the 13th over that he really got going, hitting Ngidi through mid-wicket for a boundary. In Ngidi's next over, Balbirnie hit him for six before hitting a couple of boundaries for Fortuin.

A few quiet overs followed in which Stirling reached his half-century, but Balbirnie was run out when he missed a try to Williams. The 101-run stand between Stirling and Balbirnie was Ireland's second highest ODI score against South Africa.

Stirling immediately tried to put pressure back on South Africa by driving Williams through the cover before hitting Fortuin wide on goal with a long-on. Curtis Campher started quickly, hitting two boundaries off a Williams over before hitting Fortuin for six at long-on. Stirling and Campher added 58 runs for the second wicket before Campher tried to paddle Baartman only to see the ball crash into the stumps.

Stirling went on to push Ngidi over long-off with another six before putting Baartman behind point for a boundary, but was then cleared by an in-ducker for the second game in a row, leaving him 12 down than a century remained.

Phehlukwayo struck again in his next over as George Dockrell took him straight to point.

Tector bowled Ngidi a long-on run before putting him behind by point for the fourth time to reach his half-century in the 48th over. Williams, who wasn't having his best game of the series at this stage, finally prevailed in the penultimate over. He left the middle stump broken as Adair walked over the stumps to catch him. He then caught Hand off the next ball and sent Hume off the last ball to end the series at 11 wickets.

Tector finished with 60 out of 48 as he was eliminated in the final for attempting to run a second to maintain the stroke.