South Africa once again showed the world what they can do to their opponents on their day. West Indies was the first victim of their brutality on the field. And today it was Ireland’s turn as they lost the match to the Africans by a massive margin of 201 runs.
Batting first South Africa for the second time on a row posted a total of above 400 runs. Today they scored 411/4 in 50 overs, thanks to Hashim Amla (159) and Faf Du Plessis (109) for posting great centuries. The duo collected 247 runs in their second wicket partnership after Quinton de Kock (1) had gone out very early. De Villiers got out for 24 after playing 9 balls while trying a reverse sweep against McBrine. But Rossouw and David Miller piled on Ireland’s agony as they collected 110 runs in last 51 balls. Rossouw scored 61 off 30 balls while Miller scored 46 off 23 balls. Ireland’s bowling had a miserable day as no one could trouble the South Africans in the middle. Kevin O’Brien gave away 95 in his 7 overs at a rate of 13.57 runs per over and Sorensen conceded 76 in 6 overs at a rate of 12.66 runs per over.
Their agony knew no bounds when their top order failed to deliver while trying to chase down the huge target of 412 runs. Balbirnie was the top scorer for Ireland with a 58-run innings. Kevin O’Brien missed his half century by 2 runs as Ireland lost all their wickets with just 210 runs on the board. Kyle Abbott once again bowled well and picked up 4 wickets. Morne Morkel picked up 3 wickets while Dale Steyn got 2 beside his name. AB De Villiers also got his name on the bowling card as he picked up the wicket of Mooney to round up a comprehensive victory.
South Africa after their loss against India have definitely stepped up a gear and in the last couple of matches, first against West Indies and then against Ireland, they played like the favourites. On the other hand, Ireland looked a bit off the mark against South Africa but they still have a good chance of qualifying for the next round.
Tags: ICC World Cup 2015 ICC world cup cricket 2015
