Ireland capitulate, South Africa sniff victory

By Jamie Alter

 

Kallis, assuming his role as the first-change medium pacer, struck to have Niall O’Brien caught behind as he chased an away-swinger, and then Johan Botha trapped Ed Joyce lbw for 12. Ireland failed to really recover. Robin Peterson bowled accurately and with clever variation to account for Gary Wilson and Kevin O’Brien, leaving Ireland 92 for five.

Mid Innings Report

 

By Jamie Alter

 

Kolkata: Mar 15, 2011

 

Buoyed by their fightback to a commanding 272, South Africa’s pace attack snuffed out any aspirations Ireland had of replying strongly. Morne Morkel atoned for a dropped catch by inducing two edges into the slip cordon, Jacques Kallis shifted the dangerous Niall O’Brien, and then the spinners applied the chokehold.

 

Morkel might have done well to induce edges from William Porterfield and Paul Stirling into the slip cordon, but he was twice the culprit at third man, fumbling a regulation stop and then muffing a straightforward catch, both off a fuming Dale Steyn. Kallis, assuming his role as the first-change medium pacer, struck to have Niall O’Brien caught behind as he chased an away-swinger, and then Johan Botha trapped Ed Joyce lbw for 12. Ireland failed to really recover. Robin Peterson bowled accurately and with clever variation to account for Gary Wilson and Kevin O’Brien, leaving Ireland 92 for five.

 

Earlier, a professional rear-guard from JP Duminy and Colin Ingram had spared South Africa major embarrassment and dented Ireland’s hopes of another upset. South Africa’s top order stumbled in rainy conditions and it needed Duminy’s outstanding 99 to help lift South Africa to a 272.

 

Ireland kept the pressure with accurate bowling and outstanding stump-hitting – John Mooney’s pick and throw to get Graeme Smith was brilliant – but it still didn’t warrant such a botch-up from South Africa. Hashim Amla began like a runaway train before he was caught at third man, Smith backed up too far, and Kallis had only himself to blame for not stretching as Niall O’Brien collected a flat throw from Porterfield.

 

Morne van Wyk briefly threatened to make Ireland pay for two lapses, first when he smashed a drive to Kevin O’Brien at short cover, who failed to grasp the chance, and then on 23 when Stirling at first slip muffed a thick outside edge at his chest. Van Wyk wasn’t pretty to look at – twice he cleared mid-on and mid-off for boundaries lacking conviction – but fell at the first sight of spin. His unusually high back lift, with the bat coming from behind his helmet, helped him cut and pull the fast bowlers with ferocity, but van Wyk chose the wrong ball to cut and was bowled by George Dockrell.

 

When Faf du Plessis edged Stirling’s offspin to Johnston at slip, South Africa had slumped to 117 for five. With a scratchy middle order exposed, Ireland had reason to feel like running through, but instead they lost intensity. After not allowing South Africa a boundary for 14 overs, Ireland loosened the noose with Stirling erring in length and Rankin serving up loose deliveries to Ingram. Duminy paved the way for recovery with an 87-run stand with Ingram, and then upped the tempo through a 65-run alliance with Botha. Duminy fell one short of a deserved century, but that took nothing off what was a superb effort.

 

Brief Scores: Ireland 106 for 6 in 25 overs (Gary Wilson 31, Kevin O’Brien 19; Robin Peterson 2 for 24, Morne Morkel 2 for 29) vs South Africa 272 for 7 (JP Duminy 99, Colin Ingram 46, Morne van Wyk 42; George Dockrell 1 for 37, John Mooney 1 for 36, Paul Stirling 1 for 45).

 

 

(Jamie Alter is a freelance cricket writer, having worked at ESPNcricinfo and All Sports Magazine. His first book, The History of World Cup Cricket, is out now. His twitter feed is @jamie_alter)

 

Pictures © Getty Images

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