Isobel Joyce's unbeaten 62 and three-wicket hauls from
Kim Garth and
Ciara Metcalfe helped Ireland Women fashion a historic first ODI win over South Africa Women in Dublin. South Africa had already sealed the series with a win in the
third ODI.
South Africa's innings of 143 was propped up by Andrie Steyn's 43 and Chloe Tryon's 30, even as the rest of the batting failed. Garth provided the early breakthroughs, dismissing openers Trisha Chetty and Laura Wolvaardt in successive overs. Five overs later, South Africa were tottering at 57 for 4 before Steyn anchored the innings with her 86-ball knock. Her dismissal, however, sparked off another slide and South Africa lost their last four wickets for 23 runs. Garth accounted for the top order in her 3 for 27 while Metcalfe, the legspinner, dismissed Steyn and then took a couple of lower-order wickets in her 3 for 23.
Clare Shillington gave Ireland's chase a good start with an attacking 32-ball 28 that included five fours. Once she and her opening partner Una Raymond-Hoey fell in successive overs, Cath Dalton and Gaby Lewis kept the chase on track, adding 33 for the third wicket. Joyce, who walked in to bat in the 16th over, then struck the fourth fifty of her ODI career to help Ireland complete the win with more than 13 overs to spare. She added an unbeaten 78 with Lewis and struck 12 fours during her 71-ball stay at the crease.