ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Ireland Men brought an end to their One Day International (ODI) series against South Africa Men in style on Monday, registering a 69-run win in Abu Dhabi with 23 balls to spare.
Earlier Ireland had tied the T20I series which came before the ODI series that South Africa won after taking the first two matches.
They made sure of a winning end to the series clinically whacking the South Africans.
Captain Paul Stirling top scored with 88 runs off 92 balls and led from the front for Ireland in their batting innings. Several batters chipped in and made sure Ireland was able to post a big score that was quite aggressive. Ireland’s seamers took full advantage of the momentum built and were able to use the ball effectively to gain an upper hand.
It was Stirling’s innings that set up the whole team’s performance with both batting and bowling and Ireland was in control of the match from the first ball till the last.
Stirling had previously lost four coin tosses before winning one, and chose to bat correlated to the other other attempting memorabilia and concurs with Andrew Balbirnie.
The duo added 101 runs for the 1st wicket, which is the highest opening partnership for Ireland against South Africa in ODI’s.
The opener reached the mark of fifty runs, his max length of 30 half centuries for Ireland, before Balbirnie 45 pulled Lizaad Williams to leg where Tristan Stubbs took a catch on the boundary five runs short of his fifty.
Skipper of Ireland fought with determination even during the heat in Abu Dhabi before falling in the 35th over to help bring out his best. His innings was critical as the young lad was able to show his leadership and skills in a difficult environment helping Ireland control most of the match and in the end develop a healthy score.
Additional contributions were made by Curtis Campher (34) and returning Lorcan Tucker (26), as well as an explosive return to form for 24-year-old Harry Tector whose rapid 60 from 48 saw Ireland up to 284-9 from the fifty overs of fielding.
Both Mark Adair and Graham Hume had no ado getting to work with the new ball and picked up a wicket apiece to see off both South African openers with 8 runs on the board for 2 wickets.
He was soon joined on the ten wickets tally by Adair who unleashed an lbw to the man substituting for the captain, van der Dussen early in the fifth over only for the score to read ten runs for three wickets and the Irish players celebrating.
Kyle Verreynne (38) however seemed to have different ideas as he fought to bring back the match for his side only the middle order he tried to feed was gone and when he was with the bat Craig Young was in trouble as the proteas were down to 59 for 4.
The ninth wicket stand witnessed second highest partnership of 47 runs between Jason Smith and Andile Phehlukwayo that lasted until the latter sealed the match’s first wicket when she top edged a pull shot to Young giving debutant Fionn Hand his first wicket in ODI.
Smith continued with the attack and got a deserved half century but then had to see as Bjorn Fortuin (11) was bowled by Matthew Humphreys and Williams became Young’s third victim.
Ireland seemed on their way to victory but Smith started accelerating and was closing in on a century when he offered a catch to deep third off Hume’s bowling making Ireland agonizingly left with a single wicket for an elusive victory.
That wicket was picked up by Hume in the 47th over, capping off the international year for Ireland Men’s cricket perfectly in their last outing.
Match Summary
Ireland Men vs South Africa Men – 3rd ODI match, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – 7 October 2024.
Ireland 284-9 in 50 overs (P Stirling 88, H Tector 60, A Balbirnie 45; L Williams 4-56)
South Africa 215 in 46.1 overs (J Smith 91; G Hume 3-29, C Young 3-40, M Adair 2-54)
Ireland has won the Match with 69 runs.