The heat is on in Abu Dhabi. So much so that South Africa's white-ball batting coach JP Duminy had to take up fielding duty during the third and final ODI against Ireland on Monday (October 7, 2024). (Match Blog | Streaming | More Cricket News)
Duminy could be seen fielding towards the end of the Ireland innings, as some South African players were down with fatigue and sore bodies. The heat and humidity of Abu Dhabi got the better of them and hence, Duminy had to fill in.
As for the match itself, Ireland posted a 284-run total on the board after winning the toss and electing to bat first. Captain Paul Stirling top-scored with a fluent 88-run knock off 92 balls, and Harry Tector notched up a half-century too. In response, the Proteas were tottering at 18 for the loss of three wickets at the time of writing.
Regular South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma is not playing the match due to an elbow injury he picked up while batting in the second ODI. He has been replaced by Reeza Hendricks in the playing XI, while Rassie van der Dussen is leading the Proteas in his absence.
Playing XIs
South Africa: Ryan Rickelton(w), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen(c), Kyle Verreynne, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Lizaad Williams, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
Ireland: Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling(c), Curtis Campher, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w), George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Matthew Humphreys, Craig Young, Graham Hume, Fionn Hand.
The outcome of the series is already decided as South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead by winning the first two games. The T20I series prior to that was tied 1-1.
The white-ball tour between the two sides was originally supposed to be hosted by Ireland, but is being held in the United Arab Emirates instead due to what the Ireland board's chief executive Warren Deutrom called "infrastructure constraints". Ireland do not have a permanent home stadium and have to pay rent and bring in temporary facilities each time they play at home.
