South Africa claimed an emphatic 174-run victory to seal an ODI series triumph over Ireland ahead of the final game on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. 

Having cruised to a 139-run victory in the opening encounter, the Proteas continued to avenge their shock T20I defeat against the same opponents last week with another commanding display.

South Africa made a strong start with the bat before Ryan Rickelton (40) fell in the 13th over, with Temba Bavuma (35) retiring hurt from the contest soon after. 

Rassie van der Dussen (35) and Kyle Verreynne (67) also performed well, only for Tristan Stubbs to steal the show with 112 runs from 81 deliveries, handing the Proteas a strong grip on the encounter, with South Africa ending 343-4 from their 50 overs. 

Ireland then made a dismal start to their run chase, losing five wickets in the opening 10 overs as Lizaad Williams and Lungi Ngidi ripped through their opening attack and had Ireland 50-5 early on. 

Mark Adair (21) and Andy McBrine (10) momentarily halted the onslaught, but were soon sent on their way, with Gavin Hoey hitting 23 runs before he was bowled and caught by Ngidi (2-38). 

Graham Hume and Craig Young's 52-run stand frustrated South Africa, only for the former to be bowled out by Bjorn Fortuin (2-36) with just under 20 overs remaining as Ireland ended all out for 169. 

Data Debrief: Proteas on song

It was yet another strong display by South Africa, cruising to a comfortable victory in Abu Dhabi, with Stubbs and Williams starring with the bat and ball. 

Stubbs' knock of 112 saw him record a maiden century in international cricket, ending with an impressive strike rate of 138.27. 

Williams, meanwhile, continued where he left off from the first match, and now has seven wickets during the series so far. 

South Africa cruised to a 139-run win over Ireland in the teams' first ODI in Abu Dhabi, with Lizaad Williams tearing through their opponents' batting order.

The Proteas approached Wednesday's contest reeling from a shock T20I defeat to Ireland on Sunday, with Ross Adair's maiden international century ensuring the two-match series ended 1-1.

There was not to be a repeat in the 50-over format, however, with Ireland's batting order collapsing after Ryan Rickelton (91) and Tristan Stubbs (79) guided an otherwise shaky South Africa to 271-9.

The Proteas started miserably by losing three wickets for 39 runs, Mark Adair taking two of them on his way to figures of 4-50.

But opener Rickelton stayed cool while the wickets tumbled around him, lasting 102 deliveries and allowing Stubbs to join in on the act with comfortably his best ODI score, dragging South Africa to a respectable total.

Ireland might have harboured hopes of a successful chase, but Paul Stirling's fourth-ball dismissal for just two runs set the tone, and a spate of four more wickets in the space of six overs dropped Ireland to 61-5.

Williams finished with figures of 4-32 from his 10 overs for the Proteas, who needed just 32 overs to finish off the tail and bring some much-needed positivity to their tour of the United Arab Emirates, which started with an ODI series loss to Afghanistan.

Data Debrief: Williams wins it 

Rickelton and Stubbs carried South Africa to a score they were capable of defending despite no other batter scoring more than Bjorn Fortuin's 28 – seven scored 13 runs or fewer.

But it was Williams who made sure of the victory, taking three of the first four wickets to leave Ireland in a tailspin, then going on to record the best figures of his young ODI career.

In none of his previous five ODIs had Williams managed more than two wickets, while his 32 runs conceded were also his fewest in the format.

Ireland captain Paul Stirling is "over the moon" after securing their first-ever T20I victory over South Africa, beating them by 10 runs.

Brilliant performances from brothers Ross and Mark Adair set them on course to the win, as they drew the two-match series 1-1.

Ross Adair scored his maiden international century, combining with Stirling for a superb opening partnership of 137, leading the team to 195-6, their highest T20I score against South Africa.

Mark Adair then followed up that performance with an impressive stand in the field, finishing with 4-31, before Graham Hume's 3-25 rounded off the triumph.

And Stirling was thrilled with how Ireland performed on both sides, particularly in the field.

"At halfway, we wanted an extra 15-20 runs," he said.

"They squeezed us, and we felt under-par. There was less dew [on Sunday] and we managed to get over the line.

"You need time at the crease to get the pace of the wicket. That is what won us the game.

"With new batters coming in, you always have a chance. We are absolutely delighted [with the win]. It could have gone either way. Over the moon [with the result] and hopefully we can bring it into the ODIs."

South Africa started brightly, with both Reeze Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke getting 51 after Ryan Rickelton's opening 36.

However, they soon collapsed after that, with none of the other eight batters able to reach double figures as they finished on 185-9.

Captain Aiden Markram admitted that fine margins cost them on Sunday, but he still found positives to take from the series.

"We thought it was chaseable for sure," he said. "Small moments in the game.

"It comes down to execution and if you can win those moments. When you lose wickets regularly…you want a 20-30-run partnership. They made it tough for us.

"Each guy will have a certain area to improve. We never really stop learning. Ultimately, making better decisions and winning games for South Africa."

The two sides now turn their attention to the three-match ODI series, which starts on Wednesday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

South Africa eased to an eight-wicket triumph over Ireland in the first match of their T20I series, with Patrick Kruger and Ryan Rickelton starring for the Proteas. 

Kruger's four-wicket haul saw Ireland manage 171 from their overs, with Rickleton's knock of 76 from 48 deliveries giving his side a solid foundation to build on. 

The Proteas started strongly as Ross Adair (18), Paul Stirling (two) and Harry Tector (16) fell inside the first six overs through deliveries from Ottniel Baartman (1-36), Wiaan Mulder (1-15) and Bjorn Fortuin (1-28). 

Curtis Campher's 49 attempted to steady the ship for Ireland, only for Kruger (4-27) to rip through their middle order, giving his side a manageable target to reach. 

South Africa's opening partnership of Reeza Hendricks (51) and Rickelton set the early tone, with the Proteas going 136 runs without loss until Hendricks was dismissed by Craig Young (1-25). 

Rickelton's time at the crease came to an end in the following over, but Matthew Breetzke (19) and Aiden Markram (17) were able to guide South Africa home to take a 1-0 series lead ahead of the second T20I on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Rickelton rises to the occasion

Rickelton's knock of 76 was his maiden half-century for the Proteas in T20I's, notching nine boundaries (six sixes and three fours) during his 70-minute stint. 

The 28-year-old saw his time at the crease ended by Adair, but left the field at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium with an impressive strike rate of 158.33. 

Antoine Dupont sealed hosts France's progression to the rugby sevens semi-finals as his late try clinched victory over Argentina at the Paris Olympics.

Dupont, voted the 2021 World Player of the Year, missed out on this year's Six Nations to prepare himself for the sevens at the Games.

And he scored a brilliant solo try in the dying seconds at a jam-packed Stade de France to wrap up a 26-14 triumph over Argentina on Thursday.

Aaron Grandidier had earlier crossed the line twice along with back-rower Andy Timo's opener in a dominant first half, though Argentina fought back after the break.

Rodrigo Isgro responded for Los Pumas before Marcos Moneta sneaked over after France were reduced to six when Jordan Sepho was sin-binned.

Yet home favourite Dupont stepped up in the decisive moment, whipping the crowd into frenzy after setting up a last-four meeting against South Africa, who overcame New Zealand in the quarter-finals.

South Africa finished third in Pool A as New Zealand topped the group, but the Springboks exacted revenge against the All Blacks to secure a semi-final berth.

The Springboks raced into a two-try lead before holding out for a 14-7 victory to stun one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Fiji, champions in 2016 when the event was first introduced and four years later in Tokyo, unexpectedly found themselves up against it as Chay Mullins bundled over twice to snatch a 10-7 lead for Ireland at half-time.

Zac Ward extended the Irish lead but two tries in less than 30 seconds from Selestino Ravutaumada and Terio Tamani snatched a 19-15 turnaround.

The two-time Olympic champions will meet Australia after the Wallabies downed the United States with ease.

Corey Toole and James Turner both crossed in the first half en route to a convincing 18-0 triumph in the final match of the day, sending Australia into their first rugby sevens semi-final at the Olympics.

Conor Murray celebrated an "incredible" victory over South Africa after Ciaran Frawley's heroics sealed a 25-24 victory over the Springboks.

Reigning world champions South Africa lost to Ireland on home soil for just the second time as Frawley knocked over a drop-goal with the final kick of Saturday's Test in Durban.

It capped a stunning comeback for Ireland, who trailed 16-6 at half-time.

Remarkably for such a high-scoring encounter, there was only one try, with Murray going over for Ireland, while Handre Pollard converted eight penalties for South Africa.

The day belonged to Frawley, though, as he nailed two drop-goals to condemn South Africa to a first defeat at Kings Park since 2016, ensuring the two-Test series was drawn.

"Incredible," Murray told Sky Sports. "Just to come here, in the world champions' backyard and we knew it would be tough and it was last week and it was again today.

"South Africa don't lose easy and they find a way. It's so frustrating at times to play against. We believed in ourselves, coming into South Africa's backyard is always going to be a big challenge and I think we can be proud.

"Last week hurt, it was a tough defeat and to turn up this week, we knew we were getting a break at the end of the week and the boys turned up and committed to this week."

Frawley was equally as delighted.

"It's mental," he said. "This place is a fortress and it's so loud. The game was back and forth but the boys dug in deep. We were in our own half and managed to get up, we're delighted."

South Africa have lost just their second Test match in the space of 14, with the Springboks seeing a six-match winning run come to a close.

Their only other loss during that run came against Ireland at last year's World Cup. 

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi told Sky Sports that his team were always up against it despite taking that big lead.

"In the first half the intensity and the physicality they [Ireland] were in charge of that definitely and we were just playing catch-up," he said. 

"We weren't as intense as we were last week and they were dominating us and that was the big change from last week."

The victory saw Andy Farrell celebrate his 50th Test in charge of Ireland in style. 

Farrell is only the fourth Irish men's coach to hit the half-century milestone, after Declan Kidney (53), Joe Schmidt (76) and Eddie O'Sullivan (78). He has won 40, with his win rate being the highest of any Ireland coach to have taken charge of at least three Tests.

Babar Azam has said he will leave the decision of remaining as Pakistan captain to the PCB following their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. 

The Shaheens concluded their run in the competition with a three-wicket triumph over Ireland in Florida on Sunday, but failed to progress to the Super 8 stage at the expense of the United States. 

Shaheen Afridi starred for Pakistan by taking three wickets, with Azam leading from the front with the bat as he hit an unbeaten 32 to help secure the victory. 

"Yes we finished well, we took early wickets with the ball," Azam said after the game. "With the bat we didn't finish well. Lost back to back wickets, got over the line in the end.

"I think with the bowling, conditions suit our bowlers, in batting few mistakes in USA, India matches, when you lose wickets pressure is on you.

"Let's see, what team needs, I'll be okay with it. Have a good bunch of players, we've to go home, chat and see where we lacked, and then come back. Couldn't finish off close games, as a team we weren't good as a team."

Pakistan's exit from the World Cup was the earliest they had been knocked out of the competition, having lost their opening two games to the USA and India. 

Azam's future as the captain has been called into question, and could hand the armband over to Afridi, who was named as the new captain following Pakistan's league stage exit of the ODI World Cup in India last year.

The 29-year-old explained that conversations will be had to discuss his future as Pakistan captain, but admitted the decision is down to the PCB. 

"When I left captaincy (previously), I felt that I shouldn't be captain any more and announced it myself. When PCB gave it back, that was their decision," Azam said. 

"Now we'll go back and have a discussion about what all has happened here. If I leave captaincy again then I will inform everyone.

"For now, I haven't thought about it and the decision is up to PCB."

Pakistan salvage some pride in their final T20 World Cup match by holding on to earn a three-wicket victory over Ireland in Lauderhill on Sunday.

Both sides were already out of the competition before the match, but Pakistan clearly wanted to go out on a high as they came out of the blocks quickly.

Ireland got off to a nightmare start, slumping to 4-3 in just the second over. Shaheen Afridi (3-22) and Imad Wasim (3-8) impressed as Pakistan smothered their opponents, though Gareth Delany managed to gain some momentum with 31 off 19 balls.

Ireland eventually stumbled to 106-9 and looked out of sorts while bowling as well as Pakistan raced to 52-2 by the end of the eighth over.

Barry McCarthy (3-15) set up a nervy finish though as his intervention saw Pakistan lose four wickets during the next three overs.

Ireland could not hold onto their dominance though as Afridi scored two sixes in the 19th over to reach 111-7 and ensure a Pakistan win with seven balls remaining.

Pakistan are left to rue their slow start to the tournament, while Ireland finish their T20 World Cup campaign without registering a single win, with both sides now heading home.

Data Debrief: Too little, too late?

It is the second time in the tournament that Pakistan have had two bowlers take three wickets each after Naseem Shah (3-21) and Haris Rauf (3-21) in their defeat to India.

Overall, this is the lowest match aggregate (217) involving Pakistan and Ireland in T20Is.

Emerging Ireland secured a four-wicket win over the West Indies Academy to complete a 3-0 sweep of their 50-over series in Bready on Friday.

The tourists, after being out in to bat, were guilty of not using up their allotted overs as they were dismissed for 236 with all of seven overs to spare.

Ackeem Auguste led the way with a 68-ball 81 including 10 fours and two sixes while Joshua James hit 26* off 25 balls.

Skipper Gavin Hoey led the Irish charge with his leg-spin with 4-45 from his 10 overs while medium pacer Olly Riley took 3-38 from nine overs.

Emerging Ireland then needed only 39 overs to reach 238-6 and secure victory and a 3-0 series triumph.

Morgan Topping led the way for the hosts with 46 while Seamus Lynch hit 45* off just 28 balls including six fours and two sixes.

Chris de Freitas and Scott MacBeth also had solid contributions with 38 and 36, respectively.

Captain Nyeem Young took 3-56 from nine overs for the Academy.

The teams will now turn their attention to a pair of four-day games from June 18-21 in Comber and June 25-28 in Belfast.

The United States have qualified for the Super 8s after their T20 World Cup match with Ireland in Florida was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Only an Ireland victory over tournament co-hosts USA could have prevented the Americans' progress to the next round, but no play was possible on Friday amid a flash-flood emergency in the region.

There were multiple pitch inspections, but the umpires ultimately concluded no play was possible due to the wet outfield.

USA secured a win over Canada in the opening match of the tournament before pulling off an almighty upset to beat Pakistan, who are now eliminated because of the washout, as are Canada.

The outcome also means Ireland are out, although their hopes had already looked slim after losses to India and Canada.

India are expected to finish top of Group A, having beaten USA in their last match to secure a third successive victory. 

Rohit Sharma's side will do battle with Australia, Afghanistan and a team from Group D – most likely to be Bangladesh – in the next round, though they still have one more pool match to play against Canada on Saturday.

USA are poised to enter Group 2 of the Super 8s along with fellow hosts West Indies and South Africa. The final spot in that section will be filled by either England or Scotland, depending on who progresses from Group B.

As a result of reaching the Super 8s in this competition, Monank Patel's USA team are also now guaranteed qualification to the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.

Canada earned their first-ever T20 World Cup win with a shock 12-run victory over Ireland on Friday.

It was not the best start for Canada in the power play, but they soon found their rhythm when Barbados-born Nicholas Kirton and Shreyas Movva came into the fold, scoring 49 and 37 respectively, before Barry McCarthy got them both out in his 2-24.

They fizzled out shortly after, finishing with 137-7, though it soon became clear an upset was on the cards as Ireland stumbled to 59-6 in the 13th over, thanks to Canada's impressive bowling.

A strong display from George Dockrell (30 not out) and Mark Adair (34), paired with fielding mistakes, set up a nervy finish. However, Adair was then taken by Jeremy Gordon (2-16) in the final over to ensure Ireland would finish short of their target with 125-7.

Ireland stay bottom of Group A with no points, while Canada are right in the mix, level on two with Pakistan. 

Meanwhile, Scotland continued their strong start to the World Cup with their first win of the tournament, a five-wicket victory over Namibia on Thursday to move them top of Group B.

Data Debrief: History made for Canada

Before this game, Canada had lost each of their last five men's T20Is; they had lost only four of their 23 games prior to this run in the format (W18 T1). However, that run has now ended in perfect fashion.

For just the second time, Ireland have lost their opening two games in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup; only in 2016 did they do the same in a single edition of the tournament.

West Indies slow left-arm orthodox bowler Gudakesh Motie is reaping the benefits of his consistent performances in recent times, as he has been shortlisted for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Month awards, which celebrates the outstanding performers from international competition in May.

The Guyanese, who is currently on duty with the West Indies at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, is joined by Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Ireland's Lorcan Tucker on the men's list released by ICC on Friday. The women's list is headlined by Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu, with England's Sophie Ecclestone and Scotland's captain Kathryn Bryce, the other nominees.

Motie, 29, earned a nomination after his Player of the Series exploits in West Indies whitewash series triumph over South Africa. Similarly, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi enjoyed a prolific wicket-taking month in his side’s T20I tours of Ireland and England last month, while Ireland's wicketkeeper/batsman Tucker recorded consistent scores against Pakistan, Netherlands and Scotland in his side’s preparations for the T20 World Cup.

Like Motie, Afridi and Tucker are both on duty at the T20 World Cup being hosted in the Caribbean and United States.

Meanwhile, two stars from the recently concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in the UAE are nominated in the Women’s Player of the Month category, alongside an England spin sensation.

Sri Lankan skipper Athapaththu is nominated for the second month in a row after topping the run-scoring charts in Abu Dhabi and hitting a sparkling century in the final match. She is joined by Scotland skipper Bryce, who led her side to an historic first qualification for a women’s World Cup event thanks to memorable individual contributions. England’s Ecclestone is the third name in contention, nominated for more wicket-taking feats as her side overcame Pakistan in both shorter formats last month.

An independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world will now be invited to cast their votes to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans are now able to vote for their favourite performers at icc-cricket.com/awards.

Shaheen Shah Afridi

ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for May:

Gudakesh Motie (WI)

The West Indies’ left-arm spinner enjoyed plenty of success in the home series against South Africa in May, taking eight wickets across three matches at an average of 8.50, as the hosts sealed a statement 3-0 victory in Jamaica. Motie took three for 25 in the opening contest to restrict the tourists’ chase and he backed that performance up with another impressive spell of three for 22 to stifle the middle order in the second fixture. Another two wickets in the final match turned the tide in favour of the hosts once more and allowed the 29-year-old to claim the Player of the Series accolade.

Shaheen Shah Afridi (PAK)

Pakistan’s frontline pacer is nominated for the second successive month after another blistering spell of fast bowling in May. Afridi took ten wickets in his five T20I contests during the month, which included three consecutive three-wicket hauls. Spells of three for 49 and three for 14 against Ireland helped Pakistan overturn a series deficit to win in Dublin, before the 24-year-old followed up with three for 36 against England in Birmingham. The three-time nominee has never won a Men’s Player of the Month award but has a strong case to claim his maiden prize.

Lorcan Tucker (IRE)

The wicketkeeper-batter aims to become the first Irish winner of the Men’s Player of the Month award since Harry Tector in May 2023, and is nominated thanks to explosive run-scoring feats during a busy month of international competition. Tucker top-scored for Ireland in the second and third matches against Pakistan with successive quickfire scores of 51 and 73, and carried that momentum into the tri-series against Scotland and Netherlands, hitting 40 and 55 as Ireland sealed confidence boosting wins ahead of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign.