South Africa registered a thumping win against Ireland by 139 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the ODI series. Ryan Rickelton was named as the Player of the Match for his 91-run knock. Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs hit half-centuries as South Africa trounced Ireland by 139 runs in the first of three one-day internationals on Wednesday. Victory allowed the Proteas to avenge a shock T20 loss to the same opponents last weekend and also followed an ODI series defeat against Afghanistan last month.
Rickelton, opening the batting in just his third appearance in the format, hit 91 off 102 balls with seven fours and three sixes. It was the 28-year-old’s highest score in all international cricket but his hopes of a maiden century were dashed when he dragged a ball from Andy McBrine onto his stumps in the 35th over.
Middle-order batsman Stubbs, playing in only his fifth ODI, was equally unforgiving on Ireland’s bowlers, making 79 off 86 balls with two fours and four sixes. Both Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs helped rescue South Africa from a perilous 39-3, putting on 152 for the fourth wicket as the Proteas made 271-9 off their 50 overs.
Pitch and Toss
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium played out of character and aided the batters in the T20I series. It is likely to continue in the same manner. Batting under lights will be slightly easier and bowling first will be ideal choice. Anything over 325 runs can be considered a good total.
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium played out of character and aided the batters as the bowlers struggled in the second half of the first T20I game. But the pitch still assists spinners and provides minimal turn and lower bounce. The skies will be clear on the weather front, and there will be no hint of rain during the game. Hence the skipper winning the toss will be tempted to bat first in the upcoming first ODI.
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat with experience like Rassie Van der Dussen and debutant Ottniel Baartman added to the playing XI. Ireland skipper Paul Stirling bowling first handed Gavin Hoey his debut in ODIs
Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs guide SA to 271 for 9 in 50 overs
A massive 152-run partnership between Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs, 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.
Ryan Rickelton managed to find the boundary off the very first ball of the game but Ireland took control very early. Mark Adair bowled one short at Tony de Zorzi and he managed to get only a top edge in his attempt to pull the ball.
While Temba Bavuma was then given out leg-before-wicket first ball, he managed to overturn the decision by a whisker, only to get his defence breached by a beauty in the following over from Craig Young. Rassie van der Dussen didn’t trouble the scorers as he edged Adair behind to third slip as South Africa’s horror start continued.
At 39/3, South Africa badly needed to stabilize their innings with more than 40 overs still left in the innings. South Africa added just two runs over the next three overs before Tristan Stubbs broke the shackles with a boundary.
On expected lines, South Africa’s run rate just didn’t take off up until the halfway mark despite Rickelton and Stubbs clubbing three sixes until then. After going past fifty for the first time in his ODI career, Ryan Rickelton exploded against leg spinner Gavin Hoey by smashing him for successive sixes before following that with a boundary. Stubbs got to his half-century as well at the other end as South Africa finally took control of the contest with the run rate going past five.
The boundaries now started flowing more frequently as Stubbs added two more sixes to his name as South Africa set themselves up for a big finish. However, there was a twist in the tale yet again after Ryan Rickelton missed out on a century. The opener got an inside edge as the ball clattered into stumps to see him depart nine short of a ton.
That wicket gave Ireland a great chance at clawing back as Adair then got rid of the other well-set batter Stubbs for 79. Ireland then kept striking at regular intervals, denying South Africa any momentum whatsoever at the death. Eventually, it was an unbeaten 20 from Lungi Ngidi that dragged South Africa just past 270.
Ryan Rickelton and Stubbs put on a 152-run partnership in the middle of two mini-collapses to help South Africa get to 271 before Williams’ three-for in an eight-over opening spell left Ireland five down inside 14 overs. Ireland eventually only got to 132.
South Africa got off to a watchful start, with Ryan Rickelton doing a majority of the scoring early on. He cut Mark Adair through point for a boundary off the first ball of the match before hitting a couple of cover drives off Graham Hume and Adair.
In between, Hume induced the outside edge from him but was dropped by wicketkeeper Stephen Doheny. But Adair got the breakthrough in the seventh over, when he changed tactics and banged one in short. Tony de Zorzi got a top edge as he looked to pull and was taken at deep backward square.
Temba Bavuma was then given out lbw first ball as a length ball jagged in from outside off, but was reprieved as he reviewed and ball-tracking showed the ball going over middle stump. But it was short-lived relief for the South African captain, as Craig Young got another in ducker to beat his defence and crash into the stumps. Two wickets in two overs became three in three as Adair ended his first spell by getting Rassie van der Dussen to edge to second slip.
Once the first powerplay ended, spin came in and that led to more chances. Stubbs tried to reverse-sweep Andy McBrine but hit it straight to short third where Craig Young shelled a catch in the seventeenth over. One ball later, Ryan Rickelton lofted debutant leg spinner Gavin Hoey down the ground and just cleared long-on, who was standing a few yards inside the ropes and had to track back.
Hume came back into the attack in the 22nd over, and was launched over long-on by Stubbs as he brought up a half-century stand with Ryan Rickelton. Ryan Rickelton brought up his maiden ODI half-century off 74 balls in the 26th over and immediately put his foot down on the accelerator.
Hoey bowled a couple of half-volleys and Ryan Rickelton first lofted him down the ground before slog-sweeping him over midwicket. When Hoey shortened his length, Ryan Rickelton adjusted to steer it past the wicketkeeper for a boundary in what was an 18-run over.
Stubbs brought up a 62-run fifty in the next over, before Ryan Rickelton slapped Campher through backward point for another boundary to bring up the century stand. While the first fifty runs of their partnership took 73 balls, they took just 39 balls to get the next fifty. Stubbs then came down the ground to Craig Young for a six over long-on that brought up 150 for South Africa in the 30th over, before Hoey was swept behind square by Ryan Rickelton next over.
Even as Stubbs hit McBrine and Adair for boundaries, that was the last one Ryan Rickelton hit. After facing ten balls without a boundary, Ryan Rickelton tried to go after a full and wide delivery from McBrine but ended up dragging the ball on, falling nine runs short of a maiden ODI century.
That dismissal sparked another mini-collapse as Adair combined with Balbirnie for two wickets in his next two overs. Stubbs pulled the fast bowler to Balbirnie at short midwicket before Phehlukwayo was done in by a slower ball and ended up spooning it short cover.
A slower ball brought about another wicket as Wiaan Mulder was early in his attempt to pull Young and holed out at deep midwicket. Young then had his third when Williams skied his pull to deep midwicket, as South Africa lost five wickets for 38 runs. Bjorn Fortuin took South Africa past 250 as he hit Young for two boundaries before pulling Hume to midwicket for a 34-ball 28. Ngidi then hit a four and a six to take South Africa to 271.
Lizaad Williams shines with 4 wickets as SA beat Ireland by 139 runs
That total appeared to be a match-winning one easily after Ireland lost half their side inside 14 overs in the chase. Ngidi got rid of Paul Stirling in the opening over and a similar dismissal saw Andy Balbirnie lose his stumps a few overs later. Lizaad Williams struck again in his next two overs, picking the key wickets of Harry Tector and Curtis Campher, before Ottniel Baartman opened his account to reduce Ireland to 61/5.
From thereon, there was no way back for Ireland as the wickets continued to tumble. George Dockrell’s 21 was top score for Ireland, which pretty much summarized their poor performance with the bat. In the end, the game was put to bed in the 32nd over when Ireland got shot out for 132.
Ngidi continued giving South Africa momentum when the chase began, as he got Paul Stirling to chop on. Balbirnie and Curtis Campher then rebuilt for Ireland, adding 35 runs including top-edged sixes from both batters, before Williams drew an inside edge from Balbirnie that hit the stumps.
Harry Tector brought out two gorgeous drives, one through point and one down the ground, off consecutive balls from Williams before he was trapped in front next ball. Williams then got one to stop on Campher, who was early into a shot and ended up offering a simple catch to cover.
Debutant Ottniel Baartman then had his maiden ODI wicket when he got one to jag in and go through Doheny’s defence. George Dockrell and Adair hung around before the latter got a feather edge off Ngidi in the 21st over. Four overs later, Dockrell chopped on off Mulder before Fortuin trapped Hoey in front next over to ensure all of South Africa’s bowlers got on the wickets column.
Lizaad Williams returned to complete his quota and bounced McBrine out in his final over before Fortuin had Hume caught at mid-off to wrap up the win.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Temba Bavuma the winning SA skipper said : It is a good start to the series, top innings by Rickelton and Stubbs and then with tail wagging in. We thought the seamers did really well. Top effort from them. He (speaking about Tony de Zorzi) is going for scans tomorrow.
We tried to play what is in front of us and we got guys who can do a bit of both (swing and seam), so quite a nice variety from those three (the pace trio of Ngidi, Williams and Baartman) and it was just a matter of keeping up the pressure and challenging them.
Paul Stirling the losing Ireland skipper said : Feels nice, my dad is here, so really happy (talking about becoming the first player to make 400 appearances for Ireland). It (the surface) did a couple of things I didn’t expect, it did move around in the evening. Few disappointing things and hopefully we can comeback better on Friday.
That (dropped catches) could have possibly cost us and not the only thing that cost us, probably would have made things easier for us. He (Gavin Hoey) bowled well and came back brilliantly in the last 5 overs.
Ryan Rickelton Player of the Match for his 91 runs said : When Tristan came and joined me, we were in a bit of bother and we wanted to take time and we always knew we would be able to catch and it was nice to have that partnership. The tail wagged nicely for us and credit has to go to them because those runs are really valuable.
The South African bowlers, led by Lizaad Williams, have made short work of Ireland, bundling them out for just 132. A lot of the damage was done in the first 15 overs as the new balls nipped around under lights and South Africa made the most of it. Williams, in particular, was superb with the areas he hit.
He also showed great stamina while bowling eight overs in a row in this heat, and picked up three wickets in his opening spell before coming back later on to finish with a four-fer. He set the tone, and the rest of the bowlers backed him up as Ireland were never allowed any let-off from either end.
Ireland had the opportunity earlier with the ball to restrict South Africa to a low score after reducing them to 39/3. However, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs poured cold water on their plans with a 152-run stand for the fourth wicket. Stubbs was dropped early in his innings and it proved costly as he went on to lead the recovery along with the left-handed opener who carried on his good form from the T20Is. Ryan Rickelton is named Player of the Match.
Career-best ODI scores from Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs respectively and career-best List A figures of 4-32 from Lizaad Williams helped South Africa crush Ireland by 139 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs put on a 152-run partnership in the middle of two mini-collapses to help South Africa get to 271 before Williams’ three-for in an eight-over opening spell left Ireland five down inside 14 overs. Ireland eventually only got to 132.
South Africa’s seamers were superb this evening on a helpful pitch, but Ireland’s batting left a lot to be desired as well. They’ll hope for a much better performance on Friday.