This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant

IRELAND VS SOUTH AFRICA MATCH DETAILS:

Match: Ireland vs South Africa, 2nd T20I, South Africa’s tour of the United Kingdom, 2022
Date and Time: August 5, 2022; 11 PM IST
Venue: County Ground, Bristol.

Ireland and South Africa will lock horns in the second and final T20I of the two-match series. South Africa, led by Keshav Maharaj, is leading the series 1-0 after sealing the opening game by 21 runs while defending 211 runs.

It was yet another case of Ireland doing well but falling short this summer, having run India and New Zealand extremely close earlier this season. Chasing 212 runs, only two batters, Lorcan Tucker (78) and George Dockrell (43) crossed the 20-run mark. A lack of support from other batters meant Ireland ended up getting only 190 runs in their 20 overs, which was still a great effort.

South Africa, on the other hand, continued their good run on the UK tour and this time around, it was Reeza Hendricks (74) and a quick-fire 56 from Aiden Markram that propelled them to a formidable total of 211 runs in their 20 overs.

With the ball, Tabraiz Shamsi continued his good work while Keshav Maharaj finished his economical spell conceding only 29 runs (2 wickets) in his four overs.

The Proteas would love to end their UK tour on a high while this is one final chance for Ireland to make sure they register a win on the board this summer.

IRELAND

Ireland is in a bittersweet situation as of now. They are doing pretty well, actually better than they were expected to, but are not getting the results they would want. They were found short of where they needed to be yet another time and will be kicking themselves as they lost yet another chance to pull off an upset.

They are trailing the series 0-1 and will be keen to level that with a win here in this upcoming match. While South Africa managed to score 211 batting first, Ireland would not be too concerned given the nature of the surface that was on offer and the ground dimensions. Having said that, they will certainly want to improve their execution moving forward.

With the bat, Ireland looks a pretty balanced side with the likes of Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker, and Harry Tector all doing well in recent matches. Apart from George Dockrell, we haven’t seen their lower middle-order fire and that will certainly be a cause of concern for them. They do have the necessary resources available on paper, but executing things well is important against strong sides and they will know that.

On the bowling front, they do have multiple options and they showcased that, using as many as seven bowlers in the first match. However, their bowlers will need to be a bit tighter, be it in the powerplay or at the death, to induce more errors from the opponent batsmen.

All in all, they have a decent side and the advantage of playing in familiar conditions should help them. They would need to be on their toes yet again and if they can handle the crunch situations better, they will be well in business big time.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa was never considered to be a force before the last T20 World Cup, but they can certainly not be neglected now, at least not when they are consistently getting better off top-rated sides. They defeated England 2-1 in the recently concluded T20I series and are on their way to script a whitewash over Ireland as well. To add to their credit, they are yet to finalize their playing eleven and have experimented a bit in almost every match that they have played of late.

Against Ireland in the first match as well, we saw them rest Rilee Rossouw, who was coming off a fantastic fifty against England in the preceding match. So good is their batting though that Rossouw’s absence was never felt. Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks contributed superbly to take South Africa’s total of 211, which proved to be a bit too much for the hosts to overhaul.

On the bowling front as well, South Africa is looking well settled. The likes of Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Dwaine Pretorius, and Tabraiz Shamsi are doing excellent jobs each and will be keen to continue with that. They held their nerves beautifully in the first match as that proved to be the difference between the two sides.

All in all, South Africa has a fairly new side and even though they are improving and getting better with every passing match, there aren’t many flaws that they have exhibited up until now. They have an immaculately balanced side on paper and if they can play to their potential in the second match too, Ireland will have their work cut out.

IRELAND VS SOUTH AFRICA PITCH REPORT

The pitch on offer for the series opener was a belter to bat on and another high-scoring game is on the cards. It would only be wise for the team winning the toss to bowl first.

IRELAND VS SOUTH AFRICA WEATHER FORECAST

There is no chance of rain whatsoever in Bristol during the second T20I between Ireland and South Africa. The temperature will hover around 21-23 degrees Celsius.

IRELAND VS SOUTH AFRICA PROBABLE XIS

IRELAND

The Andrew Balbirnie-led side is unlikely to make any changes despite the side losing in the first game. Joshua Little conceding 55 runs in his spell is concerning but the pacer has been one of the better bowlers for Ireland this season.

Probable XI: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (C), Lorcan Tucker (WK), Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa might look to rest a few players and we might see Gerald Coetzee getting a game in place of Lungi Ngidi, who has played almost every game on this tour.

Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (WK), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj (C), Lungi Ngidi/Gerald Coetzee, Tabraiz Shamsi.

IRELAND VS SOUTH AFRICA MATCH PREDICTION

It has been a case of so near yet so far for Ireland this summer against the top member nations. The first T20I also followed the same story and fans expect the same thing to happen again. South Africa is the favourites to win the second T20I as well.

Prediction: South Africa to win this encounter.