Windies edge Proteas to claim consolation win in tense T20 finale

West Indies captain Shai Hope and dynamic Guyanese left hander Shimron Hetmyer scored 48 runs apiece to lead the West Indies to a much disrupted total of 114-3 from just 10 overs which was just enough to earn a 6-run DLS victory in the third and final T20 International against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday evening.

Lightning delayed the start of play by 75 minutes and the West Indies reached 66-1 after the six-over Power Play when lightning returned and play was suspended. Hope was unbeaten on 38 from just 19 balls with a trio of fours and sixes at the break with Hetmyer on 26* from 14 balls and they were left with just four overs to bat.

The West Indies win the final T20I in South Africa by six runs 🌴💥

Next stop, the #T20WorldCup ✈️#SAvWI | #SSCricket pic.twitter.com/6Z4fmuYoLH — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) January 31, 2026

Hope added a six against Keshav Maharaj before slapping him to Corbin Bosch at long off and Hetmyer added two more maximums to leave the veteran spinner with a bruising analysis of 2-0-38-0.

Maharaj and fellow spinner Aiden Markram bore the brunt of the early assault with both conceding 18 runs from the single over they bowled before the stoppage.

Rovman Powell (13) muscled two sixes from seven balls before pumping Kwena Maphaka to Dewald Brevis at long off but Hetmyer was cleverly and frustratingly denied much of the strike for much of the final four overs finishing with 48* from 22 balls with

Bosch (2-0-16-0) bowled two remarkably frugal overs at the end conceding just 10 runs from 11 balls before a low full-toss was despatched over square leg by Hetmyer who finished unbeaten on 48 from 22 balls with a four and six sixes.

Hope added a six against Keshav Maharaj before slapping him to Corbin Bosch at long off and Hetmyer added two more maximums to leave the veteran spinner with a bruising analysis of 2-0-38-0.

Maharaj and fellow spinner Aiden Markram bore the brunt of the early assault with both conceding 18 runs from the single over they bowled before the stoppage.

Rovman Powell (13) muscled two sixes from seven balls before pumping Kwena Maphaka to Dewald Brevis at long off but Hetmyer was cleverly and frustratingly denied much of the strike for much of the final four overs finishing with 48* from 22 balls with

Bosch (2-0-16-0) bowled two remarkably frugal overs at the end conceding just 10 runs from 11 balls before a low full-toss was despatched over square leg by Hetmyer who finished unbeaten on 48 from 22 balls with a four and six sixes.

Opener Johnson Charles was the sole casualty before the interruption driving Lungi Ngidi to short extra cover where Jason Smith held a sharp catch.

South Africa’s DLS target was restructured to 125 by the DLS calculators and Quinton de Kock gave them a rasping start with two fours and a six and 19 runs from the first over from Jason Holder but the tourists fought back with an over costing just four runs from left arm spinner Akeal Hosein.

De Kock smashed a low catch to long on against the second left arm spinner, Gudakesh Motie, to depart for 28 from 14 balls. Ryan Rickelton (15 from 7) toe-ended a pull against Motie (2-0-17-3) but the brilliant dismissal of Dewald Brevis was the turning point.

Brevis (17 from 10) was dropped on three by Romario Shepherd when a skied pull shot against Akeal Hosein burst through his hands but the same fielder made sensational amends when he caught Brevis again on the long on boundary before tossing the ball to the assisting Holder moments before toppling over the boundary.

Jason Smith drove and cut three fours and a six off the eighth over from Hosein to give South Africa hope with 27 required from the final two but a sizzling cameo of 17 from nine balls from George Linde ended with a sliced drive against Holder to Roston Chase on the third man boundary.

With 23 required off nine balls Tristan Stubbs pulled a good length ball from Holder for six but just a single came from the next two balls leaving 16 required from the last over bowled by seamer Shamar Joseph.

Just three runs came from the first two balls before Smith impossibly flicked a yorker through midwicket for four leaving nine required from the final three balls. But Joseph rose to the occasion with a brilliant yorker to bowl Smith for 26 from 10 balls (4x4,1x6) and the West Indies had their consolation victory.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wkt), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi

West Indies: Shai Hope (captain/wkt), Johnson Charles, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Matthew Forde, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein