South Africa continued to fall short in high-pressure run-chases as they have done so in two out of their last three games and both were deciders, the T20 World Cup final and the now second T20I against Ireland as Paul Stirling and Co prevailed in a thriller in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, September 29. Needing 23 runs off the last 12 deliveries, South Africa messed up big time, losing five of the six wickets remaining in the last two balls to let Ireland beat them for the first time in T20Is out of seven matches, and level the two-match series 1-1.
It was a day that belonged to the Adair brothers, one smashed his maiden T20I ton with the bat and the other closed it out in the end with the ball taking three wickets in the penultimate over causing South Africa's capitulation. The Proteas will be disappointed given they had a set batter going into the final two overs but it came all downhill for them with Mark Adair and Graham Hume, the pick of the bowlers for Ireland, showing some excellent death-bowling skills.
South Africa got a smashing start with the bat with Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks stitching a 50-run partnership in the powerplay itself to keep their side on course of chasing 196 runs, which was indeed a massive one. Hendricks, who found form in the series opener continued his good run scoring back-to-back half-centuries and might have helped himself personally as well with the SA20 auction scheduled in a couple of days.
Hendricks and Breetzke forged a 71-run stand for the second wicket in quick time as South Africa were still very much favourites to win the game needing 75 runs to win off 45 deliveries. The match started to take turn in the 14th over when Ireland got rid of the Proteas skipper Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs in quick succession.
39 runs off four overs with a set batter in? It would have been a cakewalk for the chasing team in this day and age but not for South Africa as Irish pacers kept their composure to shock the Proteas going into the three-match ODI series.
Earlier, it was the 137-run opening stand between skipper Paul Stirling and the other Adair, Ross, who ensured that Ireland had a really good start with the bat eerily similar to what South Africa got in the series opener. Stirling smashed a half-century while Adair completed his century becoming only the third Irish player to do so in T20Is.
There was a harakiri at the end with Ireland losing four wickets for nothing but George Dockrell's unbeaten 20 ensured that Ireland got close to 200, which was eventually enough in the end to attain their maiden T20I victory against the Proteas, for whom the ongoing UAE tour hasn't been a good one so far.
