Ireland make history with first T20I win over south africa in Abu Dhabi T20I by defeating the Proteas by 10 runs. Ross Adair was the star of the match, scoring a fantastic century that helped Ireland achieve this milestone.
Ireland Make History with First T20I Win vs South Africa – Scorecard
With Adair’s century, Ireland set a challenging total of 195/6 at Zayed Cricket Stadium. South Africa couldn’t chase down the target, which led to the two-match T20I series ending in a 1-1 draw.
Adair smashed five fours and nine huge sixes during his 58-ball knock of 100. Along with captain Paul Stirling (who scored 52), Adair put on a 137-run partnership for the first wicket. This made Adair only the third Ireland player to score a century in men’s T20Is.
Previously, Kevin O’Brien had reached this landmark with a score of 124 against Hong Kong in 2019, while Stirling became the second Irish player to hit a T20I century, scoring 115 not out against Zimbabwe in 2021.
While Adair and Stirling were at the crease, it looked like Ireland could score more than 200. However, some disciplined bowling towards the end by Lungi Ngidi (1/23), Lizaad Williams (1/35), and Patrick Kruger (1/31) restricted Ireland, giving South Africa a decent chance to win.
Despite half-centuries from Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke (51 each), Mark Adair (4/31) and Graham Hume (3/25) made sure that Ireland held their nerve and claimed their first win against South Africa in men’s T20Is.
Stirling Praises the Team’s Performance
Paul Stirling, the Ireland captain, was pleased with the team’s overall performance, especially praising Ross Adair for his excellent batting.
“At halfway, we felt we needed an extra 15-20 runs,” Stirling said. “They bowled well towards the end, but with less dew tonight, we managed to get across the line. Ross played brilliantly, and we’re absolutely thrilled with the win. It could have gone either way, so we’re overjoyed with the result and hope to carry this form into the ODI series.”
Looking Ahead to the ODI Series
Following this T20I series, Ireland and South Africa will face off in a three-match ODI series, starting on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
