CAVE HILL, Barbados — Under overcast skies at the historic Three Ws Oval, South Africa Women emphatically shut the door on the West Indies’ hopes of a series victory, delivering a resounding 166-run (DLS method) triumph in the final One-Day International to seal a 2-1 series win.
With bat and ball, the Proteas outclassed their hosts, riding a sublime century from Tazmin Brits and a blistering opening partnership to set the tone, before their bowlers ruthlessly dismantled the Windies batting order in a lopsided contest.
Brits and Wolvaardt build a fortress at the top
Sent in to bat first, South Africa’s openers wasted no time stamping their authority. Tazmin Brits, in imperious form, hammered her way to a scintillating 101 off 91 balls, laced with eight fours and four sixes, while captain Laura Wolvaardt played the perfect foil with a graceful 75. Together, they stitched a commanding 184-run opening stand, leaving the West Indies bowlers searching for answers.
Brits brought up her century in emphatic style before falling to Afy Fletcher, who gave the Windies a much-needed breakthrough. Fletcher’s impact didn’t stop there—she followed up by clean bowling both Wolvaardt and Nondumiso Shangase in the 31st over, halting South Africa’s momentum at 207 for four before rain briefly interrupted play.
Rain pauses, Kapp pushes on
On resumption, Marizanne Kapp injected late acceleration with an unbeaten 34, helping the visitors post a formidable 278 for 6 in 45.5 overs. Fletcher was the standout with the ball, finishing with 3 for 53, while Hayley Matthews chipped in with the wicket of Sune Luus.
A revised target of 288 in 39 overs was set for the West Indies under the DLS method—but from the moment the chase began, the innings quickly unraveled.
Early collapse sinks West Indies’ hopes
Any hopes of a heroic chase were dashed inside the opening three overs, as the Windies crumbled to 10 for 4, courtesy of a searing spell from veteran seamer Masabata Klaas. Klaas claimed the prized scalp of Matthews for eight, before removing Qiana Joseph (1) and Chinelle Henry (0) to trigger a top-order collapse.
Despite a spirited 65-run partnership between Aaliyah Alleyne (32) and emerging star Jahzara Claxton (43), the writing was on the wall. Once the duo departed, the innings disintegrated, ending at a paltry 121 in 27.5 overs.
Klaas wrapped up her superb performance with 4 for 25, ably supported by Nonkululeko Mlaba (2 for 25) and Annerie Dercksen (2 for 1).
A harsh lesson, but hope in youth
Despite the crushing defeat, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews struck a reflective tone, acknowledging the challenges of leading a youthful squad but highlighting the flashes of promise on display.
“It’s always going to be tough when you have a young group around, but these girls are here to learn, and I think they’re eager to learn,” Matthews said.
She praised Claxton’s unexpected resilience, saying: “The way [Claxton] came about and batted today was beautiful—something that probably a lot of people didn’t expect from her down at seven or eight. It just shows that the young ones within the group have a lot of potential, and they just need to be nurtured well.”
With the ODI series in the books, attention now shifts to the three-match T20 International series, which gets underway this Friday. The West Indies will look to regroup quickly, refocus their young talent, and bounce back against a confident South African side.
