Gudakesh Motie three-for seals consolation win for West Indies

Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer's 40s, followed by Gudakesh Motie's three-wicket haul, gave West Indies a consolation win against South Africa in a curtailed third T20I in Johannesburg. The match started with 16 overs per side after lightning delayed the start. However, six overs into the West Indies innings, another lightning interruption necessitated a further reduction to 10 overs per side. Under the DLS method, South Africa set a revised target of 125, and West Indies finished with 114 for 3. Quinton de Kock once again set the tone for the chase, and there were promising contributions from the others, but the hosts fell seven runs short. Hope and Hetmyer set the tone with fearless strokeplay against both pace and spin after Johnson Charles was caught off Lungi Ngidi without scoring. In the third over, Hetmyer hit a couple of sixes off Ngidi, and Hope followed with a four and two sixes off Keshav Maharaj. After five overs, West Indies were 62/1 thanks to sixes from Hetmyer and Hope off Aiden Markram. Lightning caused a delay of nearly an hour and forced the overs to be reduced. After a few quiet overs, Hetmyer and Hope struck three sixes off Maharaj in the eighth over to earn 20 runs, but Hope was run out for a 25-ball 48 in the same over. Rovman Powell then hit two sixes off Kwena Maphaka and was also dismissed in the ninth over. Only 10 came in the final over bowled by Corbin Bosch despite a six from Hetmyer, who finished unbeaten on 48 off 22. South Africa's chase began at a frantic pace, De Kock tearing into Jason Holder for 19 in the opening over, but West Indies clawed their way back through timely strikes from the spinners. Gudakesh Motie turned the middle overs decisively, dismissing De Kock, Ryan Rickelton, and Dewald Brevis in quick succession to derail the pursuit. Akeal Hosein got rid of Aiden Markram early. Brevis and Rickelton's brief displays were insufficient as quick wickets kept South Africa on the back foot and required them to continue swinging as the asking rate increased. Shamar Joseph struck the decisive blow with a piercing yorker to bowl Jason Smith in the final over, briefly reviving hopes with his 26 off 10 runs. Bosch's bat snapped mid-shot, resulting in a bizarre moment with nine needed off the last two balls, leading to a one-short single before Joseph held his nerve to win by six runs.