Adair Brothers Shine as Ireland Record Their First Ever T20I Victory over South Africa to Level the Series
Ross Adair hits a scintillating 57-ball century as Ireland secured their first-ever T20I victory over South Africa, leveling the series 1-1 in Abu Dhabi.
This triumph also marked Ireland’s second win against the Proteas across all formats of international cricket. This also marked the first win for a team batting first at the venue in the last eight T20Is.
Key Performances and Match Results
Ireland 195 for 6 (R Adair 100, Stirling 52, Mulder 2-51) beat South Africa 185 for 9 (Hendricks 51, Breetzke 51, M Adair 4-31, Hume 3-25) by 10 runs.
Match Analysis
Ireland defeated South Africa in a Twenty20 international match for the first time after scoring their highest-ever total and holding 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 headlines early with a 57-ball century, his first in Twenty20 Internationals and Ireland’s third century in the format, before his younger brother Mark Adair took 4 for 31 to complete the victory.
Ross set the tone when he and his captain Paul Stirling, who struck his first fifty in 21 Twenty20 Internationals, shared Ireland’s second-highest opening stand in the format with 137. Ireland had a good start and seemed set to score more than 200, but they lost 6 for 43 in 32 balls, leaving some runs unaccounted for. Nevertheless, they challenged South Africa to achieve the most successful chase in Twenty20 Internationals at this location, and they failed miserably.
While Matthew Breetzke hit his maiden half-century and Reeza Hendricks his second in quick succession, Ireland scored frequently enough to guarantee that the needed run rate became too high for South Africa’s middle order.
Mark Adair struck when they needed 53 off the final five overs, with seven wickets in the bank, and 108 off the final 10 overs, with nine wickets remaining. He passed Tristan Stubbs around the wicket, but Stubbs was caught behind after pushing at a wide ball. That set off a collapse in which South Africa lost five wickets for twenty-five runs, falling 11 runs short.
Ross’s inning was an impressive display of all-around hitting, but even he will admit that he should have been out five times instead of just once, twice, three, or four. On 19, during the powerplay, he gave South Africa their first opportunity when he was constricted by a short ball from Lizaad Williams and misplayed a draw to deep square leg. Adair batted on after Williams overstepped and the catch was taken.
Then, with Stirling out of the game, Adair, on 78, smashed Wiaan Mulder to Williams at deep backward point in the 14th over. Adair was sent into the 80s by Williams, who reached for the ball with both hands but palmed it over the boundary rope. The following ball was swung furiously by Adair, who hit it straight up, but Ryan Rickleton was unable to gain enough ground to complete the catch. Adair was near the non-striker’s end of the field the next ball when Harry Tector called him through for a single but then changed his mind.
Adair may have been run out by Patrick Kruger, but he mishandled the throw from extra cover. Having not had quite enough danger, Adair offered Kruger a return chance in the ensuing over (90), but it went over his head and Adair continued. With nine sixes in his final over, he scored 100 from 57 balls, the most of any Irish batsman in the format.
In the first game, South Africa conceded just six runs in the final two overs of Ireland’s innings, keeping them below par; in the second game, they conceded just 19 runs in the final three overs, keeping Ireland below 200. With an over of slower balls, Lungi Ngidi, who has been outstanding on the tour, initiated the squeeze. One ball took off Neil Rock’s middle stump, thoroughly foxing him for being way too early with his shot. After four overs, Ngidi concluded with an analysis of 1 for 23.
The 19th, which was bowled by Kruger, began with a run-out while Mark Adair was chasing a second run and was also hit hard by pace-off. Williams was also given the final over, at which point South Africa was forced to use an additional fielder in the ring due to an over-rate penalty. Nevertheless, he kept to yorker lengths and did not give in to any limits.
Matthew Humphreys, a left-arm spinner, turned 22 on Saturday and celebrated with a trip to the Abu Dhabi Louvre, but the true gift was received the next day when he claimed his first wicket of the series—a significant one.
Humphreys was handed the 14th over to finish after giving up 26 runs in his opening three overs, and he made a major omission. As Humphreys changed pace, Aiden Markram planned a reverse-sweep with 66 needed off 39 balls, but he was unprepared for it. With greater velocity, he bowled Markram with a ball that defeated him. Humphreys ended with a 1 for 30, leaving the middle order in South Africa with too much work ahead of them.
Mark Adair opened up South Africa’s middle order after dismissing Stubbs, only to destroy it in the 19th over. Mark Adair dropped down a slower ball to Mulder, who hit straight up, and Adair took it upon himself to complete the catch. South Africa needed 23 runs off the final 12 balls.
Breetzke attempted to swat Mark Adair through the leg side two balls later, but the ball was sent straight to Harry Tector at long on. Nqaba Peter hit Mark Adair to extra cover to end his over, and Stirling made a diving grab to put Ireland in the box seats. In the final over, Graham Hume had to defend 17 runs and took two wickets in the process.
