South Africa vs Ireland, only ODI, Preview and Predictions: Ireland’s rare shot at cricketing glory

The Irish side is currently in the rainbow nation to play two one-off ODIs against the mighty South Africans and the Australian side which begins its full-fledged tour to South Africa next month.

Ireland cricket team will be eyeing a rare shot at cricketing glory when they take on the South African team in the only One-Day International (ODI) against them in Benoni. The Irish side is currently in the rainbow nation to play two one-off ODIs against the mighty South Africans and the Australian side which begins its full-fledged tour to South Africa next month. This is Ireland’s first trip to South Africa to play the national team. The last time they toured this country was to play the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in the year 2009. The team had played those games too in Benoni. Only three players — captain William Porterfield and brothers Niall O’Brien and Kevin O’Brien from that side are a part of the current team.

This is going to be a historic moment for the Irish side. They have not got the chance to play the big guns of cricket too often. And unfortunately for them, when that chance has come, they have floundered. Games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home in recent times are perfect examples. Against both these Asian teams, Ireland had a torrid time at home as they lost by huge margins. The results, coupled with lack of top flight cricket, have meant that they have fallen down to the 12th position in ODI team rankings, below the likes of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

But these two games give them a good opportunity to get the confidence going. The opportunity to play two top teams in itself is a huge motivation, and skipper Porterfield knows that very well. “Having the opportunity to come to South Africa and play them in their own backyard, and to play the world champions [Australia] in different conditions is what we have been building towards,” Porterfield told the media before leaving for the tour. “We’ve got to keep improving and keep putting in performances to merit the games that we get. We’re not here to just make up numbers for a couple of games, but we are here to win games of cricket.” ALSO READ: SA cannot take IRE lightly: Adrian Birrell

However, in their bid to create history by translating their skipper’s words into action, the Irish team will be without the services of two of their finest players. Their premier batsman Ed Joyce and fast-bowler Boyd Rankin have not travelled to South Africa and will not be a part of the historic games. Both these players, who started their careers for Ireland, then went on to play for England before returning back to home country, have been huge figures in Irish cricket. Their presence shall be missed as the Ireland team will have no option but to blood youngsters, something which has earned them limited success of late.

Porterfield was prudent enough to acknowledge the same before leaving for the two games. “The biggest thing for ourselves was that we had quite a few debutants in those games, especially with our bowling attack, and the experience they have taken from that is going to be key,” he said. This makes the role of the captain as well as the O’Brien brothers all the more important as they will have to inspire the young side with their experience in tough conditions against the best sides. They will also have the experienced Tim Murtagh for their company to inspire the younger lot. Murtagh joined the squad early on Saturday morning after winning the county championship with Middlesex, and it will be interesting to see whether Ireland field him in the first game in less than 24 hours after landing in the country.

Coming to the hosts, South Africa will be playing with a young, new-look side as well. Their regular skipper and talismanic batsman AB de Villiers has been ruled out with an injury. In his absence, Faf du Plessis shall lead the side. Also opener Hashim Amla will not be a part of the match, as he is awaiting the birth of his third child and shall be by his wife’s side. The likes of Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel and Kyle Abbott, who form the core of the attack otherwise, will not be a part of this game either. ALSO READ: Ed Joyce ruled out of IRE tour of SA citing knee injury

But that, by no means, suggests that the hosts are taking the opposition likely. Captain du Plessis was forthright in acknowledging the same, as he told media before the match, “When you play a small nation, you’ve got everything to lose and they’ve got everything to gain. They can play the perfect match and if you make a couple of mistakes, they beat you and that’s never something you want to do as a big nation.” This statement gives ample signs of how serious South Africa are about starting their home season on a perfect note.

In the absence of the stalwarts, the South African team is expected to wear a new look and as many as three uncapped players can make their debuts. In the absence of Amla and de Villiers, Temba Bavuma is likely to open the batting with Quinton de Kock. This will be Bavuma’s first outing in coloured clothing. David Miller too is all set to return after missing the tri-nation series in the Caribbean. The absence of Tahir means Aaron Phangiso, the only specialist spinner in the squad, will take the role of the tweaker in the playing XI. Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell are expected to lead the pace attack while Chris Morris, who is said to be injured, may not start in the playing XI.

Coming to the other two rookie players, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo are also, in all likelihood, set to make their ODI debuts. While the former is an all-rounder, the latter is a fast bowler. Both are exciting talents and the Protea management is keeping a keen eye on them. The one-off ODI between these two teams will also be the first match to feature the new DRS protocols, which is likely to lead to more lbw decisions being given. This is another reason why the world cricket will be following this game closely. Here’s a look at the two teams and the match timings.

Squads:

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis (c), JP Duminy, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Aaron Phangiso, Chris Morris.

Ireland: William Porterfield (c), Sean Terry, Niall O’Brien, Gary Wilson, Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Stuart Poynter (wk), Andy McBrine, George Dockerell , Barry McCarthy, Tim Murtagh, Peter Chase, Craig Young, John Anderson.

Time: 13:30 IST | 08:00 GMT | 10:00 local

(A self-confessed cricket freak, Chinmay Jawalekar is a senior writer with CricLife and CricketCountry. When not writing or following cricket, he loves to read, eat and sleep. He can be followed here @CricfreakTweets)

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