South Africa Women vs Ireland Women 3rd ODI Match Preview – December 19, 2025

Match Details

• Teams: South Africa Women vs Ireland Women
• Match Type: 3rd ODI
• Date & Time: Friday, December 19, 2025 | 11:00 AM GMT
• Venue: Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Tour: Ireland Women's tour of South Africa 2025
• Status: Dead rubber in the ODI series

Series Overview

South Africa Women have been in dominant form throughout the tour, winning all five matches so far. The Proteas began with a 3-0 sweep in the T20I series and followed up with a 2-0 win in the ODI series, sealing the series with two games to spare. This final ODI is a formality, but both teams will be eager to end the tour on a high note.

Recent Performances

South Africa Women (SAW)

• 2nd ODI (Dec 16, 2025): Beat Ireland by 74 runs
• 1st ODI (Dec 13, 2025): Beat Ireland by 7 wickets
• Final ICC Women's CWC 2025 (Nov 2, 2025): Lost to India by 52 runs
• Semi-Final ICC Women's CWC 2025 (Oct 29, 2025): Beat England by 125 runs

Ireland Women (IREW)

• 2nd ODI (Dec 16, 2025): Lost to South Africa by 74 runs
• 1st ODI (Dec 13, 2025): Lost to South Africa by 7 wickets
• World Cup Qualifier Performances: Showed resilience with strong batting efforts

Head-to-Head in ODIs

• Matches Played: 22
• South Africa Women Wins: 20
• Ireland Women Wins: 1
• Tied/No Result: 1
• Last Match: South Africa won by 74 runs on December 16, 2025

Pitch and Venue Insights – Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

The Wanderers Stadium is known for its fast and bouncy pitch, favoring pace bowlers. In recent women's ODIs, the average first-innings score has been 249, and the second innings average is 210. Approximately 78.5% of wickets are taken by pacers, with 21.5% by spinners.

Expect a total in the 250-270 range to be competitive. South Africa's pace attack, led by Tumi Sekhukhune and ElizMari Marx, will look to exploit the surface, while Ireland’s batters will aim to counter with aggressive shot-making.

Key Players to Watch

South Africa Women

• Laura Wolvaardt (Captain) – In scintillating form with three centuries in her last five ODIs. Her leadership and batting are crucial to South Africa's success.
• Sune Luus – All-rounder with match-winning capabilities in both batting and bowling.
• Dane van Niekerk – Explosive lower-order batsman and spin threat.

Ireland Women

• Gaby Lewis (Captain) – Ireland’s top-order anchor and key run-scorer.
• Amy Hunter – Reliable middle-order batter and left-arm spinner.
• Orla Prendergast – Aggressive batsman who can change the game with big hits.
• Jane Maguire – Ireland’s leading wicket-taker in the series and potential match-winner with the ball.

Predicted Playing 11s

South Africa Women

• Sune Luus
• Laura Wolvaardt (c)
• Tazmin Brits
• Lara Goodall
• Dane van Niekerk
• Miane Smit
• Karabo Meso (wk)
• Nondumiso Shangase
• ElizMari Marx
• Leah Jones
• Tumi Sekhukhune

Ireland Women

• Sarah Forbes
• Gaby Lewis (c)
• Amy Hunter (wk)
• Orla Prendergast
• Laura Delany
• Leah Paul
• Rebecca Stokell
• Arlene Kelly
• Jane Maguire
• Cara Murray
• Aimee Maguire

Match Prediction

South Africa Women are expected to continue their dominance and win the final ODI of the series. With Laura Wolvaardt in sublime form and a strong all-round squad, the Proteas should easily outclass a resilient but outmatched Ireland side.

Top Performers to Watch:

• Laura Wolvaardt (SAW) – Likely to top-score
• Jane Maguire (IREW) – Ireland's best chance for a standout performance

Conclusion

While the result is largely a foregone conclusion, this final ODI will provide an opportunity for Ireland to showcase their progress and for South Africa to complete a clean sweep. The Wanderers Stadium's pace-friendly surface is expected to favor the Proteas' bowlers, making it a challenging day for the Irish batters.

Prediction: South Africa Women to win the match comfortably.
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