Delhi: In the third and last match of the three-match ODI series played in Abu Dhabi, Ireland registered a spectacular victory by defeating South Africa by 69 runs. Batting first, Ireland scored 284 runs for 9 wickets in 50 overs. Captain Paul Stirling played an inning of 88 runs and Harry Tector added 60 runs to put the team in a strong position. Opener Andy Balbirnie also contributed 45 runs, due to which the team got off to a steady start.

Among the South African bowlers, Lizard Williams tried to stop Ireland's run pace to some extent by taking 4 wickets.

In reply, the South African team made a bad start, and soon their 3 wickets fell, putting them under pressure. On behalf of the team, Jason Smith played the biggest innings and scored 91 runs, but he could not get much support from the other end. Ireland's bowlers performed well, with Craig Young and Graham Hume taking 3 wickets each. Apart from him, Mark Adair defeated South African batting by taking 2 wickets.

South Africa missed the clean sweep

South Africa was all out for 215 runs in 46.1 overs, resulting in a spectacular 69-run victory for Ireland.

Although South Africa won the first two matches and won the three-match series 2-1, Ireland's performance in this match was commendable. Ireland ended the series with a positive win, which boosted their team morale.