206/4 (32.2)
CR : 6.37
205/10 (45.2)
CR : 4.52
South Africa Women won by 6 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Laura Wolvaardt
100(93)
SAW won by 6 wickets
11:15 PM IST, 7:45 PM Local Time: Sheer dominance from South Africa Women as they win the final WODI of the three-match series by six wickets, with 106 balls to spare, to complete a whitewash over Ireland Women. Laura Wolvaardt was at her imperious best, smashing consecutive centuries to cap off 2025 in style.
Earlier, Ireland Women were bowled out for 205 after squandering a strong position in the second half of their innings. After losing Sarah Forbes early (8), skipper Gaby Lewis (64) and Coulter Reilly (37) steadied the innings with a 99-run stand for the second wicket, capitalising on some sloppy fielding from South Africa. However, the momentum shifted when Tumi Sekhukhune broke the partnership, triggering a collapse. Nonkululeko Mlaba then struck twice in an over, removing Lewis and Laura Delany, as Ireland lost three wickets in seven balls. Despite a brief stand between Orla Prendergast (21) and Leah Paul (30), Ireland suffered a late collapse and folded for a below par total.
Nonkululeko Mlaba was the standout performer with the ball for the hosts, finishing with four wickets to derail Ireland’s batting line-up. Tumi Sekhukhune provided excellent support, chipping in with two wickets at crucial moments, while Sune Luus, Leah Jones, and Faye Tunnicliffe contributed a wicket apiece to the downfall.
In reply, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits came out all guns blazing to provide South Africa Women with a solid start, adding a brisk 56 runs for the first wicket before Arlene Kelly trapped Brits for 26 to break the opening stand.
Karabo Meso (17) and Sune Luus (25) failed to convert their starts into significant scores, while Dane van Niekerk (10) departed cheaply as South Africa lost three wickets at regular intervals. However, skipper Wolvaardt continued her fine form, dominating the bowlers with authority. She added an unbeaten 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Faye Tunnicliffe (15*) and went on to smash a superb century, guiding her side across the line with ease. Arlene Kelly and Aimee Maguire were the only bowlers to taste success for Ireland Women, with both claiming two wickets each.
Stay tuned for the presentation......
Earlier, Ireland Women were bowled out for 205 after squandering a strong position in the second half of their innings. After losing Sarah Forbes early (8), skipper Gaby Lewis (64) and Coulter Reilly (37) steadied the innings with a 99-run stand for the second wicket, capitalising on some sloppy fielding from South Africa. However, the momentum shifted when Tumi Sekhukhune broke the partnership, triggering a collapse. Nonkululeko Mlaba then struck twice in an over, removing Lewis and Laura Delany, as Ireland lost three wickets in seven balls. Despite a brief stand between Orla Prendergast (21) and Leah Paul (30), Ireland suffered a late collapse and folded for a below par total.
Nonkululeko Mlaba was the standout performer with the ball for the hosts, finishing with four wickets to derail Ireland’s batting line-up. Tumi Sekhukhune provided excellent support, chipping in with two wickets at crucial moments, while Sune Luus, Leah Jones, and Faye Tunnicliffe contributed a wicket apiece to the downfall.
In reply, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits came out all guns blazing to provide South Africa Women with a solid start, adding a brisk 56 runs for the first wicket before Arlene Kelly trapped Brits for 26 to break the opening stand.
Karabo Meso (17) and Sune Luus (25) failed to convert their starts into significant scores, while Dane van Niekerk (10) departed cheaply as South Africa lost three wickets at regular intervals. However, skipper Wolvaardt continued her fine form, dominating the bowlers with authority. She added an unbeaten 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Faye Tunnicliffe (15*) and went on to smash a superb century, guiding her side across the line with ease. Arlene Kelly and Aimee Maguire were the only bowlers to taste success for Ireland Women, with both claiming two wickets each.
Stay tuned for the presentation......
Time for the post match presentation....
Gaby Lewis (Ireland Women Captain): "Yeah, it was a great start, but it’s a bit bittersweet because we probably could have posted a bigger total. The back-to-back wickets really hurt us during that phase, and I take personal responsibility for that as well — it was a crucial moment in the innings. We’ll reflect on it and look to do better in the qualifiers.
There were definitely periods throughout the game where we were on top, and it’s about reigniting that hunger within the group — pushing ourselves to keep getting better. That’s all we can really ask for.
Looking across the series, we’ve been looked after exceptionally well in South Africa, and I can’t thank them enough. At every venue, the hospitality has been outstanding, and hopefully we can repay the favour sometime in the future when we get the chance to host and provide similar cricketing facilities."
There were definitely periods throughout the game where we were on top, and it’s about reigniting that hunger within the group — pushing ourselves to keep getting better. That’s all we can really ask for.
Looking across the series, we’ve been looked after exceptionally well in South Africa, and I can’t thank them enough. At every venue, the hospitality has been outstanding, and hopefully we can repay the favour sometime in the future when we get the chance to host and provide similar cricketing facilities."
Player of the Match: Laura Wolvaardt
Player of the Series: Laura Wolvaardt
Laura Wolvaardt (Player of the Match, Player of the Series & South Africa Women Captain): "It was a lovely way to finish. We wanted to end the tour on a strong note, and considering we’ve had a really good tour overall, getting a win in the final match was important. I’m glad we were able to finish in that fashion.
It’s definitely been a year of two halves. The first of those five matches only came in September, and the first half of the year didn’t quite click. But something just fell into place in the second half, and I’ve been able to carry that form through. I’m really enjoying my batting at the moment.
This series was exactly what the group needed. It gave us the opportunity to see what depth we have across the country. A lot of these players have been performing well in domestic cricket, and it was great to see them get their chances and step up when the opportunity came. As a captain, I’m very pleased.
It might be difficult to pick an XI for the next tour with so many players performing, but that’s a good problem to have. Looking ahead to 2026, it’s a World Cup year, and that will be our main focus. Everything we do will be geared towards preparing well for the World Cup, hopefully making another final and going one step further.
The support has been amazing. I think this is the biggest crowd I’ve seen at the Wanderers, and throughout the series the turnouts have been fantastic. It’s been awesome to feel the love and see so many people come out to watch us."
It’s definitely been a year of two halves. The first of those five matches only came in September, and the first half of the year didn’t quite click. But something just fell into place in the second half, and I’ve been able to carry that form through. I’m really enjoying my batting at the moment.
This series was exactly what the group needed. It gave us the opportunity to see what depth we have across the country. A lot of these players have been performing well in domestic cricket, and it was great to see them get their chances and step up when the opportunity came. As a captain, I’m very pleased.
It might be difficult to pick an XI for the next tour with so many players performing, but that’s a good problem to have. Looking ahead to 2026, it’s a World Cup year, and that will be our main focus. Everything we do will be geared towards preparing well for the World Cup, hopefully making another final and going one step further.
The support has been amazing. I think this is the biggest crowd I’ve seen at the Wanderers, and throughout the series the turnouts have been fantastic. It’s been awesome to feel the love and see so many people come out to watch us."
Laura Wolvaardt receives the series trophy 🏆 and joins her teammates for the celebrations and photographs as confetti and smoke fill the air.
Time to wrap up our coverage, folks! After winning the three-match T20I series 2–0, South Africa Women carried their dominance into the ODI format to complete a whitewash over Ireland Women. The visitors failed to register a win on the tour, but they will take away several positives from the series. Laura Wolvaardt was in sublime form, smashing back-to-back centuries to sign off 2025 in style. We hope you enjoyed our live coverage. For now, it's me, Deepak Prakash, signing off on behalf of scorer/analyst Rajesh Pal. Good Night!😴