South Africa beat Ireland, clinch series 2-0: Key stats
South Africa downed Ireland by 44 runs in the second and final T20I on Friday. Put to bat first, SA managed 182/6 in 20 overs. Reeza Hendricks (42) emerged as the top scorer. Later, Wayne Parnell (5/30) and Dwaine Pretorius (3/33) ran riot in Bristol. Barry McCarthy smacked a whirlwind inning (32), but the chase was out of equation (138/10). Here are the stats.
South Africa were left to be troubled at 85/4. However, the duo of Heinrich Klaasen and skipper David Miller added a brisk 71 runs for the fifth wicket. Quick-fire knocks from Pretorius and Miller got SA past 180. George Delany was the pick of the Irish bowlers (2/24). The hosts fell prey to SA's bowling attack on offer and folded on 138.
SA boast a perfect 5-0 record in the T20I duels against Ireland. They had thrashed the Irishmen 3-0 in the tour of 2021. And now, a clinical win to wind up the series 2-0.
Hendricks missed on his fifth consecutive fifty in the decider. Nonetheless, the opening batter managed a pivotal 40-ball 42 while hitting six fours. His run was cut short in the 13th over, courtesy of a quicker one from George Delany, who shattered his leg stump. He has raced to 1,372 runs across 48 T20Is, averaging a decent 29.82.
Miller smacked a 20-ball 34*, belting a solitary four and three sixes. He raced past 1,900 T20I runs (1903) at 32.81 for SA. He eyes JP Duminy's run count next (1,934). Meanwhile, Klaasen was a notch above as he battered a 16-ball 39. He hit five fours and two sixes. He has gone past the 650-run mark (651) while striking at over 140.
Stirling showed promise after a string of poor shows in T20 Internationals. He smacked a 6, 6, and 4 off Parnell in the fourth over. The Irish legend cracked a 16-ball 28, hitting two fours and two sixes. He was caught out while trying to slog a slower one off Lungi Ngidi. Stirling now has 2,940 T20I runs at 29.40.
Wayne Parnell made short work of Andrew Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker on back-to-back deliveries in the second over. A slower one trumped Curtis Campher, while Harry Tector pulled a hard-length delivery straight to Lungi Ngidi at backward point. Later, Andy McBrine edged an angled-in delivery from Parnell. The left-armer claimed his maiden five-fer in T20Is (5/30). He now has 50 scalps at 23.82.
