Tristan Stubbs Leads South Africa to Series Win Over Ireland

Tristan Stubbs scored his first One-Day International (ODI) century, remaining unbeaten as South Africa defeated Ireland by 174 runs in Abu Dhabi, securing a series victory. The Proteas had already won the first match of the series by 134 runs, giving them a 2-0 lead with one game remaining on Monday. After winning the toss, South Africa opted to bat first, establishing a solid foundation with openers Ryan Rickleton and captain Temba Bavuma.

Bavuma scored 35 before leaving the field due to an elbow injury, leaving the score at 68-0. Rickleton contributed 40 runs and after his dismissal, the team stood at 78-1. Stand-in captain Rassie van der Dussen added 35 runs but it was Stubbs who took charge alongside Kyle Verreynne, forming a crucial partnership of 103 for the third wicket. Building on his impressive 79 from the previous match, Tristan Stubbs played a crucial role in South Africa’s innings.

He scored 92 runs in partnership with Wiaan Mulder, who contributed 43 runs. The team finished their innings at a formidable 343-4. In response, Ireland struggled to find their footing, quickly slipping to 7-2 after losing both Andrew Balbirnie and captain Paul Stirling. Curtis Campher (17) and Harry Tector (20) managed to stabilize the innings briefly but Lizaad Williams disrupted their efforts by taking two wickets in consecutive deliveries.

Though Mark Adair (21) and Gavin Hoey (23) showed some resistance, a spirited last-wicket partnership of 52 between Graham Hume (21) and Craig Young (29 not out) was not enough. Ireland ultimately fell for 167 runs with Williams finishing with figures of 3-36 while Bjorn Fortuin and Lungi Ngidi each took two wickets.