A massive 152-run partnership, which also served as a rescue act for South Africa, set up their big win over Ireland in the opening ODI in Abu Dhabi. Having managed to only tie the T20I series, South Africa managed to kickstart the ODI series on a great note with their bowlers delivering a 139-run win.
Even though Ryan Rickelton was able to hit the boundary off the very first ball of the game, Ireland was able to take control of the game very quickly. In his attempt to draw the ball, Mark Adair bowled one short to Tony de Zorzi, and he only managed to obtain a top edge when he attempted to pull the ball.
Temba Bavuma was subsequently dismissed for a leg-before-wicket first ball, but he was able to appeal the judgment by a hair’s breadth. However, his defense was then pierced by a beauty from Craig Young in the over that followed. As South Africa’s terrible start continued, Rassie van der Dussen did not cause any problems for the scorers when he edged Adair behind to become the third wicketkeeper.
Due to the fact that there were still more than forty overs remained in the innings, South Africa desperately needed to stabilize their innings when they were 39/3. South Africa only managed to add two runs over the course of the subsequent three overs when Tristan Stubbs finally broke the shackles with a boundary. In accordance with the predictions, South Africa’s run rate did not begin to pick up until the midway point, despite the fact that Rickelton and Stubbs had hit three sixes leading up to that point.
Rickelton burst against legspinner Gavin Hoey by smashing him for consecutive sixes and then following it up with a boundary. This performance came after Rickelton had reached fifty for the first time in his one-day international career. At the opposite end of the field, Stubbs also reached his half-century, and South Africa eventually gained control of the game with a run rate that went over five.
At this point, the boundaries began to flow more often, and Stubbs added two more sixes to his name as South Africa prepared themselves for a significant finale. On the other hand, the story took still another unexpected turn as Rickelton failed to reach the benchmark of one hundred.
As the ball clattered against the stumps, the opener was able to get an inside edge, which resulted in him leaving the field nine runs shy of a ton. After taking that wicket, Adair eliminated the other well-established hitter, Stubbs, for 79 runs, which provided Ireland with a fantastic opportunity to make a comeback.
On the other hand, Ireland continued to strike at regular intervals, preventing South Africa from gaining any momentum until the latter end of the match. In the end, it was Lungi Ngidi’s undefeated 20 that brought South Africa to a score that was just marginally higher than 270.
The fact that Ireland lost half of their team within the first 14 overs of the chase gave the impression that this score was comfortably capable of winning the match. Paul Stirling was dismissed by Ngidi in the first over of the match, and Andy Balbirnie was also dismissed by Ngidi a few overs later.
Both of these dismissals were identical. Lizaad Williams struck once again in his subsequent two overs, capturing the crucial wickets of Harry Tector and Curtis Campher. Ottneil Baartman then opened his account, bringing Ireland’s score down to 61/5.
There was no turning back for Ireland after that point, as the wickets continued to fall as they continued to fall. The leading score for Ireland was 21, which pretty well summed up their dismal performance with the bat. George Dockrell’s score was the highest score for Ireland.
Ultimately, the game was ended when Ireland was bowled out for 132 in the 32nd over. This was the final act of the game. The second one-day international against the two sides will now take place on Friday at the same location.Only a few scores: To beat Ireland by 139 runs, South Africa scored 271/9 in 50 overs (Ryan Rickelton scored 91, Tristan Stubbs scored 79, and Mark Adair scored 4/50). Ireland scored 132 in 31.5 overs (George Dockrell scored 21 and Lizaad Williams scored 4/32).
South Africa’s major victory Match Summary:
- South Africa: 271/9 in 50 overs (Ryan Rickelton 91, Tristan Stubbs 79; Mark Adair 4/50)
- Ireland: 132 all out in 31.5 overs (George Dockrell 21; Lizaad Williams 4/32)
- Result: South Africa won by 139 runs.
