West Indies vs South Africa: West Indies win rain-hit third T20I

Introduction — Why the West Indies vs South Africa finale mattered

The third and final T20I between West Indies and South Africa carried significance beyond a single result: South Africa had already clinched the series after winning the first two matches, while the West Indies sought a morale-boosting finish. The decider was affected by rain and reduced to a ten-over shootout, testing both sides’ ability to adapt under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method — a timely reminder of how weather can reshape limited-overs contests.

Main body — Key events, performances and figures

In the rain-shortened match, the West Indies claimed a consolation victory. The official summary recorded West Indies 114 for 3 (with Nicholas or Shimron? — provided sources list Hetmyer 48 and Hope 48 as the main contributors) defeating South Africa’s 118 for 6 by six runs via DLS after the match was reduced to ten overs. Powerful contributions from Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer — each credited with 48 in the provided information — anchored the West Indies’ chase in the abbreviated format.

South Africa’s innings featured Quinton de Kock top-scoring with 28, while Motie returned the notable bowling figures of 3-17 in the match report provided. However, the broader bowling analysis from Sky Sports highlights mixed returns for South African bowlers in their allotted overs: Kagiso Rabada finished with 4-0-35-0 (economy 8.75), Marco Jansen Linde (listed as Linde) 4-0-25-3 (6.25), Keshav Maharaj 4-0-44-2 (11.00), C. Bosch 4-0-35-2 (8.75) and Maphaka 4-0-30-0 (7.50).

West Indies bowlers listed in the source also had varied returns: Forde 1-0-13-0 (13.00), Seales 3-0-29-0 (9.66), Hosein 3-0-31-0 (10.33), Chase 4-0-31-1 (7.75), Holder 3.5-0-41-0 (10.69) and Shepherd 3-0-29-0 (9.66). Those figures underline a high-scoring, fast-paced ten-over contest in which big hits and elevated economies were decisive.

Conclusion — Takeaways and what to expect next

The West Indies’ win in the final T20I of the series offered a positive close for the visitors and highlighted their ability to accelerate in short-form conditions. For South Africa, the series victory remains the headline, but the final match exposed areas for bowling adjustment in rain-impacted, short-format scenarios. Fans and selectors will likely view the result as encouragement for the West Indies’ batting depth and a prompt for South Africa to refine death-over plans and contingency strategies under DLS. Future fixtures between these sides may hinge on how each team adapts to variable conditions and tight, shortened formats.