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Ireland claim historic win over Proteas

cricket13 July 2021 17:55| © MWP
By:Ross Roche
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A superb all-round performance from Ireland saw them claim a historic first-ever ODI victory over the Proteas as they won by 43 runs in the second ODI of the three-match series at The Village in Dublin on Tuesday.

Ireland will thus take a one-nil lead and a lot of confidence into Friday’s third match after the first game of the series was rained out this past Sunday.

It was a massive result for Ireland after they had been soundly beaten by the Proteas in the previous five ODIs that they had played over the years, but they looked the more composed and better team and fully deserved their win on the day.

The only thing the visitors won on the day was the toss and after sending the home side in to bat everything went downhill as Ireland first scored a solid 290 for five in their 50 overs, before the Proteas could only respond with 247 all out.

Ireland’s star performers with the bat were captain Andrew Balbirnie who scored his seventh international century and Harry Tector who hammered an entertaining half-century, while all of the bowlers pitched in with Josh Little, 2-45, Andy McBrine, 2-34, and Mark Adair, 2-43, the main contributors.

After being set 291 to win the Proteas' chase got off to a tough start as opening batsmen Aiden Markram (5) tried to pull a short ball from Craig Young that wasn’t short enough and only ended up toe ending the ball to McBrine at extra cover with them 28 for one in the fifth over.

Captain Temba Bavuma (10) then joined Janneman Malan, who top-scored with 84 off 96 balls (7x4; 4x6), at the crease and they took their side past 50 in the ninth over before Bavuma pulled Little straight to George Dockrell at square leg in the next over as the Proteas slipped to 51 for two.

SHIFTING FORTUNES

Rassie van der Dussen, 49 off 70 (2x4) and Malan set about rebuilding the Proteas’ chase and while they were at the crease the match seemed to had shifted in the visitors’ favour.

They shared in a 108-run stand, during which Malan brought up his half-century in the 19th over with a single off Little, a Van der Dussen single off Simi Singh in the 22nd over brought up the team’s 100 and two from Van der Dussen off Dockrell in the 31st over brought up the Proteas’ 150.

However, the match was turned on its head in the space of seven deliveries as they lost both set batsmen.

First Malan, having just hit Dockrell for a boundary, tried to go aerial off the next ball only to find Adair at deep midwicket and in the next over Van der Dussen was trapped in front by McBrine, losing a review in the process, leaving the Proteas in trouble on 160 for four.

The Proteas’ chase proceeded to fizzle out as Kyle Verreynne (13), David Miller (24), Keshav Maharaj (17), Kagiso Rabada (16) and Anrich Nortje (10) all got into double figures, but no one was able to hold up an end as wickets tumbled regularly.

POOR BOWLING & FIELDING

In the first innings, a poor bowling and fielding effort from the Proteas, coupled with a top batting performance from Ireland, saw the hosts post a strong 290 for five in their 50 overs.

Balbirnie led from the front, stroking his way to a well played 102 off 117 balls (10x4; 2x6), while end-of-innings cameos from Harry Tector, 79 from 68 balls (6x4; 4x6) and George Dockrell, 45 from 23 (5x4; 2x6) boosted Ireland’s score.

The final seven overs of the innings saw Ireland score 88 runs as the Proteas fast men, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Andile Phehlukwayo, all came in for some treatment.

The Proteas will, however, point to a poor performance in the field that contributed heavily as they dropped four catches, including Balbirnie on 74 and Tector first ball.

The Ireland innings got off to a rocky start as opening batsman Paul Stirling (27) lived dangerously, dropped on six by Aiden Markram off Nortje in the fourth over and then on 10 in the next by David Miller off the bowling of Rabada.

The Ireland 50 came up in the 11th over before Stirling finally lost his wicket. Sweeping a four off Keshav Maharaj in the 14th over he tried to repeat the trick off the next delivery but was bowled all ends up, defeated by the slowness of the ball, with Ireland on 64 for one.

SUPERB STAND

McBrine (30) joined Balbirnie at the crease and they continued Ireland’s solid start, with Balbirnie bringing up his half-century off just 51 balls with a single off Maharaj in the 20th over.

The Ireland 100 came up with a McBrine single off Maharaj in the 24th over, before an action-packed 29th over saw the back of McBrine.

The first two balls of the over bowled by Shamsi were hit for boundaries, with the third then trapping McBrine in front, with Ireland losing a review in the process, before Tector was dropped by keeper Kyle Verrynne off the fourth ball, with Ireland on 124 for two at that stage.

Balbirnie was dropped by Rabada off the bowling of Phehlukwayo in the 35th over, while Tector brought up Ireland's 150 by slog-sweeping Maharaj for six in the next.

Balbirnie brought up his century with a single off Tabraiz Shamsi in the 41st over, but then fell in the next as he spooned a hip-high full toss from Rabada down the leg side straight to Proteas captain Temba Bavuma at mid-off.

Ireland's 200 came up with a swept boundary from Tector off Shamsi in the 43rd over, before the fireworks truly began.

Tector and Dockrell shared in a superb 90-run fourth-wicket stand off just 44 balls as they pasted Rabada for 16 and 15 in the 44th and 48th overs, Phehlukwayo for 18 in the 46th over and Nortje for 12 runs each in the 47th and 49th overs as the runs kept flowing.

Phehlukwayo’s last over (the 50th) went for just eight as both Tector and Dockrell were caught in the deep hunting more runs, with Ireland finishing well on top.

Phehlukwayo was expensive in picking up 2-73 in his 10 overs but was the only bowler to get more than one wicket as Shamsi, 1-42, Maharaj, 1-50, and Rabada, 1-58, all managed only a single scalp each.


IRELAND: Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Simi Singh, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Joshua Little

SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram, Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne (wk), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

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