Ireland won a Twenty20 international match against South Africa for the first time, reaching their highest-ever total and keeping South Africa to a draw in Abu Dhabi. They achieved this by being the first team in the venue’s eight previous Twenty20 Internationals to win a game while batting first at Zayed Cricket Stadium. Ross Adair made the early headlines with a 57-ball century. This was his first in T20Is and Ireland’s third in the format, before his younger brother, Mark Adair, took four for 31 to secure the victory.
Ross set the tone with Ireland’s second-highest opening stand in the format, 137, alongside skipper Paul Stirling, who struck his first fifty in 21 T20Is. Their start put Ireland on course for a score of more than 200. But they lost six for 43 in 32 balls, leaving several runs unscored. Nonetheless, they challenged South Africa to complete the most successful T20I chase at this stadium, and they delivered.
Ireland’s Late Resistance
Reeza Hendricks produced his second half-century in a row, and Matthew Breetzke his first, but Ireland struck frequently enough to put too much pressure on South Africa’s middle order. They needed 108 off the last ten overs with nine wickets in hand, and 53 off the last five overs with seven wickets in the bag, when Mark Adair struck. He moved across the wicket to Tristan Stubbs, who pushed at a wide ball and was caught behind. That began a collapse in which South Africa lost five wickets for 25 and fell 11 runs short.
Take nothing away from Ross’ innings, which were a showcase of all-around hitting, but he will know he should have been out five times. On 19, on the powerplay, he was pinched by Lizard Williams‘ short ball and miscued a draw to deep square leg, giving South Africa their first chance. The catch was made, but Williams overstepped, so Ireland’s Adair batted on. Then, in the 14th over, soon after Stirling was dismissed, Adair (78) struck Wiaan Mulder to Williams at a deep backward point. Williams grabbed both hands on the ball, but palmed it over the boundary rope, sending Adair into the 80s.
SA’s Final Overs Struggles
In the first match, South Africa conceded only six runs in the last two overs of Ireland’s innings, leaving them short of a par score. At that time, they conceded only 19 in the final three overs, keeping Ireland under 200. Lungi Ngidi, who has been outstanding on the tour, began the squeeze with an over of slower balls. That featured a ball that utterly fooled Neil Rock, who was far too early with his swing and took out his middle stump.
Ngidi finished with an analysis of 1 for 23 from four overs. Kruger bowled the 19th over, which began with a run-out as Mark Adair looked for a second run and was also riddled with pace-off. And Williams was granted the final over, at which point South Africa earned an over-rate penalty and needed an extra fielder in the ring. Nonetheless, he refused to yield any boundaries, sticking to yorker lengths. After removing Stubbs, Mark Adair opened up South Africa’s middle order before destroying it in the nineteenth over.
South Africa needed 23 runs from the last 12, but Mark Adair sent down a slower ball to Mulder, who hit straight up, and Adair took it upon himself to finish the catch. Two balls later, Breetzke attempted to swat Mark Adair through the leg side, but the ball went straight to Harry Tector at long-on. Mark Adair completed his over when Nqaba Peter hit him to extra cover, where Stirling made a diving grab to put Ireland in the lead. Graham Hume had 17 runs to defend from the final over and took two wickets.
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