The Irish needed a 3-0 series whitewash to deny South Africa, however on Tuesday the 1st ODI in Chelmsford was declared a washout.

Ireland were chasing 247-runs for the win, but with their score on 65/3 after 16.3 overs the heavens opened up and forced a no result.

This means that the Proteas won’t have to play in the upcoming qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe. The Irish will have to make the trip in order to qualify for the World Cup.

In an interview with Cricinfo the Proteas white-ball coach, Rob Walter, said they can now focus on that needs to be done in order to be competitive in India.

“What we have now is the chance to spend some quality time outside of competition getting ourselves ready for a marquee event,” Walter said.

“We have a number of camps planned throughout the winter in the lead up to the Australia series which obviously forms our final preparation for the World Cup. There is also the 'A' side tour to Sri Lanka, so we have tried to ensure significant skill development opportunities and time in the middle from a competitive point of view.”

The Proteas next scheduled series will be in September when they host Australia in a series of five One-Day Internationals as well as three T20 Internationals.

The first ODI at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein will be played on 7 September.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport