Ireland skipper, Andrew Balbirnie, hit 102 from 117 balls to lead his team to victory over the Proteas by 43 runs in the second One Day International (ODI) at Malahide Cricket Club on Tuesday. The hosts go 1-0 up in the three-match series after the opening match was washed out on Sunday.
Ireland outplayed South Africa in all three facets of the game, starting with Balbirnie, Harry Tector (79 off 68 balls), George Dockrell (45 off 23) and Andy McBrine (30 off 47) shining with the bat. They were able to secure four partnerships of 50 or more, their captain featuring in three of them, starting with the opening stand of 64 runs with Paul Stirling (27) before Keshav Maharaj (1/50) bowled the latter out in the 14th over.
He followed that up with 60 runs for the second wicket with McBrine and topped it off with a 70-run, third-wicket partnership with Tector. The gears shifted when Dockrell joined Tector and they put on 90 runs off 46 deliveries for the fourth wicket to give them a solid total of 290/5 in the end.
South Africa’s bowlers struggled to gain wickets, not helped by the fielding performance that saw four catches put down. Andile Phehlukwayo was the most successful bowler with two wickets for 73 runs while Tabraiz Shamsi (1/42) and Kagiso Rabada (1/58) got one wicket each.
The tourists’ batting reply was also lacking the energy of the home team, as they struggled with the low and slow conditions of Malahide. Janneman Malan (84 off 96) and Rassie van der Dussen (49 off 70) nevertheless laid a good foundation with a 108-run, third-wicket partnership after the losses of Aiden Markram (5) and captain Temba Bavuma (10) up front.
The rest of the line-up failed to kick on and only David Miller (24) was able to go past the 20-run mark.
McBrine (2/34), Adair (2/43) and Josh Little (2/45) were the pick of the bowlers, taking six wickets between them as they reduced the Proteas to 247, winning the match with nine balls to spare.
The third and final fixture will take place on Friday at the same venue and will be South Africa’s last chance to at least level the series and add vital points to their ICC Men’s World Cup Super League campaign for automatic qualification into the 2023 World Cup in India.
ENDS
Issued by: Cricket South Africa – Corporate Communications