Excellent performances from brothers Ross and Mark Adair helped Ireland defeat South Africa and level the two-match T20I series in Abu Dhabi last night.
Ross set Ireland on course with his maiden international hundred before younger brother Mark’s 4-31 with the ball claimed a dramatic 10-run win.
The former combined with Paul Stirling in a stunning opening partnership which teed up Ireland’s first innings total of 195-6, their highest T20I score against South Africa and 10th best of all time in the format.
Their 137-run stand for the first wicket is also Ireland’s second-biggest T20I partnership, with Adair becoming just the third Irish men’s player to hit a T20I century.
The elder Adair’s innings was brutal, the 30-year-old hitting nine sixes and five fours in his knock of 100 from just 58 deliveries.
That total of nine sixes is a new Irish record, beating the eight set twice by Stirling.
And he joined Kevin O’Brien and Stirling in Ireland‘s T20I hundred club, delivering a showstopping display of batting in only his 10th outing in the format.
Stirling played superbly himself with a rapid 52 off 31 balls – the Ireland skipper’s 24th half century in T20Is – but his contribution was overshadowed by the brilliance of his opening partner, who has struggled to make an impression in international cricket after retiring from a professional rugby career with Ulster. His previous most notable innings were 65 against Zimbabwe and 46 against Austria.
With Andy Balbirnie rested for this series, he took his chance: ‘I knew if I just stuck around long enough and worked hard, I would get a chance eventually. But we’re looking forward to having him (Balbirnie) back in the squad at some stage.’
When Ireland were beaten in Friday’s first game in the series, it was South Africa’s opening batters who shone in a successful run chase and they started brightly again, putting on 50 for the first wicket before Graham Hume removed Ryan Rickelton for 36.
Reeza Hendricks’ half century maintained the charge before being dismissed by Ben White and, by the time South Africa captain Aiden Markram was bowled by Trinity student Matthew Humphreys seven balls later, the Proteas were 130-3 and requiring 66 from 38.
The younger Adair and Neil Rock soon combined to account for Tristan Stubbs, but Matthew Breetzke passed 50 and took
South Africa to within 23 runs of victory with 12 balls remaining.
Adair subsequently took three wickets in the penultimate over, including that of Breetzke, before Hume (3-25) saw out the final over that claimed a major victory for Ireland. It was the 26th nation Ireland has beaten – more than any other country.
Stirling said: ‘At halfway, we wanted an extra 15 or 20 runs. They squeezed us and we felt our total was under-par. We managed to get over the line.’
He acknowledged that both sides’ batters struggled when they came in, causing wickets to fall in clusters: ‘You need time at the crease to get the pace of the wicket. That is what won us the game. With new batters coming in, you always have a chance.
‘We are absolutely delighted with the win. It could have gone either way.
‘Hopefully we can bring it into the ODIs.’
The two sides now turn their attentions to the three-match ODI series, which kicks off at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.