Win the toss, win the game - Ireland vs SA series review
Ireland finally win a toss, bowling second under lights as a disappointing, uncompetitive series comes to an end
What a difference a toss makes.
After losing four on the bounce on this tour, Paul Stirling finally saw his opposite number call incorrectly. For the first time this series, Ireland won the toss and chose to bat ahead of Monday’s 69-run victory over South Africa. More importantly, they bowled second with the ball swinging around corners with the floodlights on, sealing a win which concludes the series at 2-1 in South Africa’s favour.
During the first two games of this series in Abu Dhabi, South Africa bowled second under lights. Lizaad Williams dominated the Irish batters, helping the Proteas to a pair of thumping wins. This time around, Mark Adair and co showed their new ball skills under helpful conditions to seal victory, even if Jason Smith’s 91 delayed the inevitable.
All this was after Ireland managed to notch 284 in an innings which initially looked light, only to be more than enough. Ultimately, this was a disappointing series in which the flip of a coin had too strong a bearing on the outcome.
Here are the game’s talking points:
Stumbling on the right approach
At the halfway stage, Ireland’s total of 284-9 felt a touch short. Having finally batted without a floodlight in sight, they looked at one point likely to reach 300. Paul Stirling seemed odds on for a century only to miss a nip-backer on 88. Andrew Balbirnie looked to be working past a sluggish start, only to pull one straight down deep square leg’s throat on 45.
Harry Tector did pull Ireland to a total close to 300 with a score of 60, but one wondered if Ireland’s inability to put the foot down might prove costly.
Their start in the powerplay was solid - not losing any wickets in the first 10 overs - but equally sedate. Just 37 runs were scored, a rate below four an over.
It wasn’t always due to a resolute, defensive approach. Balbirnie tried to drive through the covers repeatedly only for sluggish footwork to deny him the power required to pierce the gap.
Curtis Campher tried to up the ante only to ramp the ball onto his own stumps for 34. Lorcan Tucker, back in the side after recovering from a head knock, also departed trying to scoop a slower ball, wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton taking the catch. Bizarrely, Mark Adair was also bowled playing the same shot, despite his renowned power down the ground. It must be the first time in history three Irish batters have been dismissed playing a ramp/scoop shot in the same innings. There was plenty of boundary intent, just not a whole lot of success.
Ireland’s accidentally sedate approach proved to be a winning one. A score of some note, rather than a dominant one of over 300, would suffice given the helpful bowling conditions to come.
Return to form
Even with the caveat of Ireland having the worst of the batting conditions prior to this game, some Irish batters have been woefully out of form. Three of those returned to the runs in some capacity during Monday’s victory.
Stirling at times looked back to his fluid best during his knock of 88 off 92 balls. Whisper it quietly, but coming off a good T20 series, Ireland’s captain may well be back in groove. Since last year’s disappointing World Cup qualifiers, he has averaged 24 in ODI cricket, well below his career figure of 38.
On Monday, Stirling’s first boundary was a drive through the off side. When Stirling accesses his favoured shots through cover and point, he looks on song. When teams limit those options by bowling straighter, as South Africa did previously in this series, along with plenty of other teams in recent years, Ireland’s captain can struggle.
Batting under the sun instead of the lights, Stirling wasn’t challenged as much by the ball moving back in between bat and pad. Instead, he thrashed boundaries through the off side while also pulling a bouncer over fine leg and launching the left-arm spinner over the sight screen. He was free to take the game on.
Eventually, Ottneil Baartman got one to nip back through the gate, ending Stirling’s party. If you include his inside edge onto the stumps in the first ODI, that’s three games in a row in which Stirling has been bowled through the gate. As someone who loves driving square through the off side, the technical flaw of leaving a gap between bat and pad is not surprising, but it is still a flaw nonetheless.
Harry Tector was Ireland’s next highest scorer with 60 off 48. He was dropped twice and did not look at his best. Still, his half-century, coming off 42 balls, was the fastest by an Irishman vs South Africa in ODI cricket. His average in the last year (43) is healthy, but Tector’s recent run of scores has been the opposite, notching a combined 53 runs in his last 4 internationals.
On the scorecard, Andrew Balbirnie also returned to form. In the last 12 months, he averages 24 (compared to a career figure of 32). A knock of 45 off 73 on Monday brought welcome time in the middle, even if Balbirnie never looked fluid. It was a battle. His strike rate gradually ticked up in his innings from 50 after 38 balls faced, 57 after 51 and finally 62 by the time he was dismissed.
In the context of this game, a strike rate which was closer to 50 than 100 didn’t cost Ireland. Going forward, it’s unlikely that Balbirnie will get away with chewing up deliveries without better output.
Kings of swing
Finally, Ireland had their turn to bowl under lights after Paul Stirling won the toss. The bowlers earned their dinner, and then some.
The Irish attack extracted 2.1 degrees of swing. Such prolific movement saw them reduce South Africa to 10-3 after just 4.1 overs.
Interestingly, when the Proteas were bowling in these helpful conditions in the first two ODIs, they only found 1.1 degree of swing. Were Ireland’s bowlers more skilled?
Perhaps Ireland were more effective at extracting movement in the air; maybe they have better wrist-positions. A more likely explanation, though, is the differing approach between the two sides. South Africa, led by the brilliant Lizaad Williams, looked to bowl wobble balls and find movement off the pitch. Ireland, by contrast, used strong wrists with varied release points to move the ball both ways in the air - not as much off the surface.
Both approaches worked. Both attacks wreaked havoc with the new ball. It was the winning of all three matches, South Africa just happened to win more tosses. If anything, it is a sign of a distorted, unfair contest that a coin can go a long way to deciding the match.
When the UAE hosted the T20 World Cup in 2021, something similar happened. The dew ensured that whichever side bowled second was very likely to lose. Competitive balance wouldn’t have been a priority for Cricket Ireland when choosing to host these games here. They had their off-field reasons for so doing.
Regardless, once again we saw the skills of Ireland’s seamers on show. Mark Adair swung it both ways, taking two early scalps. When he nicked off Ryan Rickelton, the ball deviated 28cm in one direction. When he trapped Rassie van der Dussen LBW, it moved 22cm the opposite way. Even as late as the 20th over, Craig Young got one to leave Tristan Stubbs. That nick behind, seeing the back of Friday’s centurion, all but sealed victory for Ireland.
Ireland will have plenty of days when their lack of top end pace will cost them in batter-friendly conditions. Monday was not one of those days.
Verreyne shows the way
Of all the players to bat under lights during this series, only Kyle Verreyne showed a slightly different approach. Unsurprisingly, he was the only one to have anything close to success.
Coming in with the score at 8-2 in the fourth over, he walked down at Hume when facing just his second ball. He left it alone, but it was a rare example of desire from a batter on either side to not let the opposition bowl themselves into rhythm.
Verreyne also showed his willingness to drive, to be positive. He had his luck. An edge flew wide of third slip. Another unconvincing drive landed just short of cover. But he also hit six boundaries in his knock of 38 off 36. He came the closest of all top order batters in this series to thriving in these difficult conditions. He took risks. He tried to put pressure back on the bowlers.
It almost worked.
What was said
Paul Stirling on finally winning the toss: “It was a massive difference, we were just thankful we won the toss and batted. It still seamed around, but it was slower. It quickened up as the game went on.
“We were delighted to win the game and come back strong. We let ourselves down fractionally in the last few games, so to come back and win in such tough conditions, we’re delighted.
“We knew if we applied ourselves, kept wickets in hand and set a total we would be there or there abouts with the amount of seam movement with the lights on.
“I didn’t think the toss would be so important. It’s normally an unbelievable wicket. We got the best of conditions today and were able to use it.”
What’s next
On the stump mic, an Irish player was heard saying “Come on boys, four months off after this,” as Ireland chased the wickets required for victory. No fixtures are confirmed yet, but Ireland are due to tour Zimbabwe on an all-format trip at the end of January.
Winter well, folks!