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Ireland Men v United Arab Emirates Men, 3rd T20I, ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground No 2, Dubai, 10 October 2021
Ireland 134-5 (20 overs; K O’Brien 54, P Stirling 40; R Mustafa 3-23)
UAE 139-3 (16.1 overs; M Waseem 107*, V Aravind 11; C Young 2-29)
UAE won by 7 wickets (UAE wins series 2-1)

Another disappointing result this morning. Seem to be going backwards!

UAE level series with 54-run win over Ireland
DUBAI, UAE – Debutant Akif Raja and leg-spinner Palaniapan Meiyappan shared seven wickets as UAE dominated Ireland in the second of three T20Is to secure a 54-run win.
After Ireland had been set an imposing target of 164 to win, Raja ripped through the visitors’ top order: Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Balbirnie all fell victim to the right-arm quick in the powerplay. Stirling was out for 1 as he top-edged a delivery to mid-on, Balbirnie (9) departed to an excellent catch at deep square leg and O’Brien was adjudged to have tickled a delivery outside off stump that flew into the wicketkeeper’s hands.
A difficult powerplay meant Ireland faced an uphill task from there and regular breakthroughs followed: Gareth Delany was stumped off Ahmed Raza’s bowling and Meiyappan accounted for the lower middle order of Curtis Campher, George Dockrell and Neil Rock. Campher had briefly offered some hope and resistance for Ireland, moving to 22 off 15, but he was bowled to leave Ireland 74-5 inside 12 overs.
Despite a couple of dropped catches in the field, UAE were not forced to pay for their mistakes as they bounced back impressively from a heavy defeat to the same opponents the previous day – victory was finally sealed in the 19th over, when Craig Young was dismissed by Waseem Muhammad
Earlier in the match, UAE had put together a fine display with the bat after Ireland chose to field, recovering impressively after opening batter Muhammad was dismissed in Josh Little’s opening over for a duck. Chirag Suri top-scored for the hosts with an impressive half-century, his fourth in T20Is and one that included three fours and a six down the ground off Simi Singh’s bowling.
Vriitya Aravind (23 off 15) and Muhammad Usman (32 off 31) helped keep the scoreboard ticking at the other end, but the real fireworks came from Basil Hameed whose cameo saw him take 39 runs off 20 deliveries. His final flourish included 19 runs off his bat in the final over of the innings courtesy of some innovative strokeplay - including a shuffle to the leg-side and fine cut over the keeper’s head for four. Kashif Daud’s 12 off seven added to Ireland’s struggles as they failed to reach the heights of Thursday, when they limited UAE to a total of 123-7.
The pick of the bowlers for Ireland proved to be Little, who followed up an economical display in Thursday’s victory with figures of 1-24 from his four overs, while Campher also kept things tight in the middle overs with 19 runs conceded from his three overs.
With the series level at 1-1, the third and final T20I on Sunday will serve as a decider.
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland Men v United Arab Emirates Men, 1st T20I, ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground No 2, Dubai, 7 October 202
UAE 163-4 (20 overs; C Suri 51, B Hameed 39*; J Little 1-24)
Ireland 109 (18.4 overs; C Campher 22; P Meiyappan 4-25)
UAE won by 54 runs (series 1-1)

Stirling, O'Brien lead Ireland to victory after Campher stars with the ball in first T20I against UAE
DUBAI, UAE - A disciplined bowling performance followed by a 90-run opening stand between Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien helped Ireland to a seven-wicket win in the first of three T20Is against the UAE.
Having succumbed to defeat against Scotland in a warm-up fixture on Tuesday, Ireland bounced back with a strong all-round performance on Thursday after they were asked to field first. Opening up with the new ball, Mark Adair and Josh Little gave little away, but the star man in the powerplay proved to be Curtis Campher.
Granted the sixth over of the innings, the all-rounder claimed his maiden T20I wicket with the dismissal of Chirag Suri off his second ball of the day. Just three deliveries later he reacted quickly to move to his left and hold on to a return catch from CP Rizwan – a double-wicket maiden saw UAE to 26-3 after six overs, with Adair having taken the first wicket of the day.
Campher remained economical in the middle overs and a top-edged pull from Basil Hameed, with the ball landing in the safe hands of Little at short fine leg, gave the 22-year-old his third wicket of the innings.
For the UAE, Muhammad Usman offered some resistance with a 32-ball 35, but he was stumped after dancing down the track and failing to connect off a Ben White delivery. The leg-spinner was celebrating once more from the very next delivery after he bowled Rohan Mustafa for a first-ball duck, and while he wasn’t to enjoy a hat-trick, he finished with tidy figures of 2-24.
The hosts did end strongly with the bat; Kashif Daud and Ahmed Raza struck some hefty blows to claim 26 runs from the final two overs, but UAE’s total of 123-7 appeared below par and meant Ireland remained in the driving seat at the mid-innings break.
In response, Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien didn’t race out of the blocks but neither did they falter – fifty was reached in the eighth over, with Stirling taking much of the strike in the opening exchanges. While it took him 40 deliveries to reach 38, the power game he is renowned for was on show when he moved to a half-century in spectacular style: the off-spin of Mustafa was deposited for back-to-back sixes, with deep midwicket the target zone of the freewheeling right-hander.
The partnership advanced to 90 before off-spinner Hameed accounted for Stirling, and there were a few minor bumps in Ireland’s path to victory: Andrew Balbirnie was bowled for 3, and O’Brien holed out to long-on for 46 as Hameed’s regular interventions left nine required from 10 deliveries.
But Campher showed his all-round value, entering the fray and immediately settling any nerves with back-to-back boundaries and a single to secure a series-opening win.
The two sides return to the same venue tomorrow for the second match of the series.
After the match, Ireland Men’s captain Andrew Balbirnie said:
“It’s always good to win the first international on tour, and hopefully we can back it up tomorrow. Most pleasing today was the well-controlled bowling performance put in by our bowling unit – it was very accurate in skills execution and they delivered on the plans we had in place.”
“Conditions, as you can clearly see, are very hot – it’s certainly one of the hottest I’ve played in, but we have acclimatised well since arriving and on-the-whole the squad have coped well.”
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland Men v United Arab Emirates Men, 1st T20I, ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground No 2, Dubai, 7 October 2021
UAE 123-7 (20 overs; M Usman 35; C Campher 3-19, B White 2-24, M Adair 2-29)
Ireland 124-3 (18.5 overs; P Stirling 53, K O’Brien 46; B Hameed 3-20)
Ireland won by 7 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)

Ireland Under-19s Men’s side qualify for 2022 Under-19 World Cup with win over Scotland
ALMERIA, Spain – For the second consecutive match, Lisburn’s Matthew Humphreys starred for Ireland Under-19s Men’s team as they defeated Scotland convincingly by 78 runs, booking their place in the ICC Men’s Under-19s World Cup in the West Indies next year.
Humphreys, who took 4-11 on Thursday in his side’s round robin win over the Scots, went one better today claiming 5-25 as Ireland’s bowling unit ran rampant for the second time in three days in back-to-back wins against their Celtic opponents.
While conditions were warm and muggy, Ireland’s captain Tim Tector won the toss and elected to bat first – and in an eerily similar outcome to Thursday’s match, the Irish batters largely struggled to get going. Nathan McGuire was the top-order exception, striking 43 off 50 balls, but by the 23rd over Ireland was 70-5 staring at another low total (at almost the equivalent stage in the last match, Ireland was 58-5).
Scott Macbeth (27) and Liam Doherty (21) forged a much-needed 41-run partnership for the 6th wicket – and late runs were added by Humphreys (11) and Jamie Forbes (12), but the Irish side succumbed to be all out for 144 from 46.4 overs – marginally better than their total of 139 all out last match.
Whilst appearing to be a low target for the Scots to achieve in isolation, in the context of the last match it was the Irish bowlers who went into the second innings full of confidence (Scotland was bowled out for just 44 on Thursday).
And just as he did on Thursday, Humphreys struck in the first over and set the tone for his side as the men in green steamrolled their way once more through the Scottish batting line-up.
Humphreys’ five-wicket haul stood out, however it was – in reality – a complete performance by the whole bowling unit. McGuire (2-14), Forbes (1-1), Muzamil Sherzad (1-2) and Liam Doherty (1-12) took the wickets alongside Humphreys, while Cameron Doak (0-8) went wicketless but bowled important overs to keep the pressure on the Scottish side.
In the end, the Scots scraped through to the 27th over, but finished on 66 all out – 78 runs adrift of the target, handing Ireland Under-19s qualification for the ICC Under-19s Men’s World Cup next year.
After the match, Matthew Humphreys said:
“I’m absolutely delighted for the lads – the feeling was absolutely brilliant [when we won], credit to the lads for the way they pulled together. 140 wasn’t a big score, but the passion we showed in the field was absolutely brilliant and it has been an absolutely brilliant experience for the lads.”
“The loss to the Netherlands early on in the tournament was hard to take, but in fairness they were the better side on the day. The lads were brilliant how they pulled together over the following days though – the team culture was really good, and we focussed on doing what we needed to do, that was getting three wins from three to qualify.
Tim Tector said;
“Matthew Humphreys has been unbelievable all week for us – the first two games were pretty unlucky for him in that he didn’t get wickets against Jersey or the Netherlands, but the way he bowled against Scotland was a real reward to how he has been bowling all week. He stuck to his plan and was always threatening the batters. And with the bat as well, he was solid all week and helped a number of times getting us out of tricky situations, so it was great to see that fight and hunger from him.
“I’m just really delighted for the whole squad – but the hard work really starts now, as it’s about three months until we head to the Caribbean for the world cup, so we will just put our heads down and train hard. And then, when we’re out there we’ll be sure to enjoy the experience – as I said earlier, it’s not every day you qualify for a world cup.”
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland U19s v Scotland U19s, ICC U19 World Cup European Qualifier Final, Desert Springs Cricket Ground, 25 September 2021
Ireland U19s 139 (46.4 overs; N McGuire 43, S Macbeth 27; O Davidson 3-22, J Jarvis 3-16, L Robertson 3-29)
Scotland U19s 66 (26.5 overs: T Mackintosh 15; M Humphreys 5-25, N McGuire 2-14, L Doherty 1-12)
Ireland Under-19s won by 78 runs

Matthew Humphreys stars with bat and ball as Ireland Under-19s book finals place with win over Scotland
ALMERIA, Spain – Lisburn all-rounder Matthew Humphreys starred for Ireland Under-19s with both bat and ball to lift Ireland to victory over Scotland, securing a finals place at the ICC Men’s Under-19s World Cup Europe Qualifier today.
After winning the toss, captain Tim Tector decided to bat first – however, big-hitting opener Nathan McGuire was dismissed early for 6, and combined with some accurate early Scottish bowling, Ireland was restricted to 28-1 after the first power-play.
Yesterday’s century-making hero Jack Dickson was bowled soon after for 15, with his dismissal triggering a middle-order collapse. The Irish batting line-up lost 4-21 in 11 overs to be precariously positioned at 58-5 in the 25th over – staring at a big defeat and missing out on the Final of the tournament.
Scott Macbeth and Liam Doherty stabilised the innings with a 6th wicket stand of 44 runs, however both fell within eight runs of each other and Ireland was once again looking at a well below par total, sitting on 100-7 with 14 overs still available.
The Irish team management was looking desperately for one of the lower-order to contribute in the latter overs, and up stepped Humphreys. The Lisburn-man struck two sixes and two fours in a run-a-ball innings of 32. He found some support from Jamie Forbes (2) who held up an end while Humphreys began to find the boundary, and the pair’s 28-run partnership for the 8th wicket gave their side the first glimpse of hope in setting a low, but possibly defendable target.
Scottish left-arm spinner Oliver Davidson eventually cleaned up the tail, claiming a five-wicket haul in the process, and Ireland ended on 139 from 44.4 overs – Humphreys being the last man to fall
If they had any chance of defeating the table-topping Scots, the Irish bowlers needed a positive start, and it was that man Humphreys that struck in the first over – his wicket maiden opening over would then set the tone for the rest of the innings.
Captain Tector effected a run out in the 6th over to have Scotland at 7-2, but Tomas Mackintosh looked to counter-attack. He reeled off five boundaries in a quickfire 24, but man-of-the-moment Humphreys trapped him in front with Scotland looking adrift at 25-3.
Ireland sensed their chance and made it count. The Irish bowlers, backed up by good fielding, never let up the pressure and wickets tumbled as a result. In all, Scotland lost their last seven wickets for just 12 runs in 10 overs as the side in green pressed home their advantage in ruthless style.
Player of the Match Humphreys finished with 4-11 from 10 overs (including four maidens) and McGuire claimed 3-7 from his 4.2 overs – his final delivery which bowled Sean Fischer-Keogh sparked wild celebrations as the Irish camp knew they had booked a place in Saturday’s final, which determines the side that goes through to the Under-19s World Cup in 2022.
Scotland – currently in second place – can only watch on tomorrow as Netherlands meets Jersey in the last match of the round-robin part of this tournament. A big win tomorrow by the Dutch may see them leap over the Scots on net run rate. Meanwhile the Irish squad has a rest day, and can begin preparing for the big decider in two days.
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland U19s v Scotland U19s, ICC U19 World Cup Qualifier Group Game 1, Desert Springs Cricket Ground, 23 September 2021
Ireland U19s 139 (44.4 overs; M Humphreys 32, S Macbeth 31; O Davidson 5-23)
Scotland U19s 44 (23.2 overs: T Mackintosh 24; M Humphreys 4-11, N McGuire 3-7, C Doak 1-2)
Ireland U19s won by 95 runs

Re: Position of NCU Chief Executive - Job description
and personnel specification -
Please see below General strategic/operational
plan & Curriculum vitae;
1. Over 25 yrs playing NCU cricket ( hopefully a few
more still to come?)

2. Firm believer in hands on approach as opposed to
supervising behind a desk, likewise, will expect
same from staff.

3. Keen to keep 50 & 20 over cricket separate as I see
a worrying trend, shorter version becoming
more accepted at expense of longer version
of game ( It ain't proper cricket ).

4. Will be upping the tempo in regards to junior/youth
cricket, formulating a strategic plan to introduce
cricket to current, non-playing schools throughout
the province.
I feel there a present vacuum exists and a potential
goldmine awaits, worth exploration.
If selected for the post, I shall personally oversee
the smooth implementation of my strategy
eg: how too approach Principals, teachers, youth
leaders etc.

( It's my present view, phone calls, letters, emails, advertising in local papers/shop notice boards, are a poor substitute for 'knock on the door approach')

5. I will endeavour in person to attend a game each
Saturday of all clubs participating in NCU cricket
up to and including their junior teams, should I be
unavailable through other cricket related
commitments, rest assured, I'll delegate
members of my staff paid or otherwise ( but
especially the paid ones) to do so
in my absence.

NB: Failure on their part to attend
without a valid reason my result in summary
dismissal.

6. Cricket Ireland will be regularly updated of
progress of local game, NCU knights, upcoming
talent and club membership numbers, likewise, I'll
expect reciprocal support/feedback from same,
anything less just isn't cricket, (no pun intended).

Qualifications: Just two O-levels, (back then I was
more into sport than academia),
though I possess bags of enthusiasm
and have a fairly reliable motor to get
around the country.

Ps : Address, phone no, email withheld at present
but if shortlisted for vacancy, I can be contacted
anytime here on the Ulster Cricketer forum;

Kind regards & yours in sport CB

Yep, sure was a hot and fiery summer..

Stick or twist

To hit, block or leave, that is the question
first ball dilemma, nagging quandary
that must be resolved, less calamity befall?

Throw kitchen sink, cow corner, clear rope
fortune favours the bold, don't they say?
after all, not lead, just a leather, cricket ball

Yet if missed, dreaded, death rattle, lbw, caught
or mix up, run out? 'Tis fool's folly to
endure skipper's wrath, let side, supporters down

Nope! Steady as she goes, forward defensive
play straight, Rome not built in a day
be a rock, resolute, assured, Boycott, no clown

But what if it's short, what if it's juicy half-tracker
pull, drive, fav shots, guaranteed 4 maybe 6
''what if, what if?' indeterminate, real or illusion?

A fitful sleep, hear morning lark, cockerel's crow
mind made, make mark, leave first delivery
awareness, noble traits, a foregone conclusion!

Alas, woe is me, split hairs, fine lines, fine margins
one more straw, broke the camel's back
swing or seam deviation, tiny edge, back in pavilion

Will there be mind's release from this tumult, disarray
just two hours before bell rings, face executioner..
Mercy me! A pardoned, ping, text from the skipper;

'Sorry lads, match is off ' ... Oh Lord, thx a million!!!

An old man once told me that if you live long enough you’ll see everything! I saw an incredible performance by Cameron Doak today taking 9 wkts for Lisburn 2s v Carrickfergus 2s including a 5 for 0 in 5 balls. Carrick 73/4 - 73 all out!!

Hi Ed how are you and all on the Ulster Cricketer Forum, I said that I would give my comments on the ODIs vs South Africa and here it goes
The overall judgement from this series compared to that of the Netherlands is a massive improvement and that we seemed to manage the power plays well with wickets in hand for the final 10 overs of the matches bar the last one where I think we went a small bit gung ho but to be expected after the 2nd ODI. No player misfired in the the series and excited that we won a match vs South Africa after all the thumpings they have given us since 2007.
Match One saw Ireland doing what they failed to do in the Netherlands and keep ticking the score over and having plenty in the tank for the final 10 overs but rain ruined what I seen as a 320+ target to defend but we will never know.
Match Two like match One seen the same and this time a score of 290 to defend was I thought some 20-30 runs light but Ireland after 2 early scalps, I thought South Africa with a big partnership would win this they did and subsequently 5/42 plus the squeezing of the boundries left the Proteas with to much to do and led to an historic Irish win
Match Three saw the South Africans pile on the runs and led to a 346/4 as they sought revenge for what happened 2 days earlier and then they ripped our top 4 who excelled in the 2 previous matches but Curtis Campher and Simi Singh did show resistance and to add 174 for the last 4 wickets I was consoled that the side did not wilt and with a bit more luck could have gotten even closer but overall happy
The T20s in a T20 World Cup Year was an embarresment with only 3 players scoring over 30 runs the benchmark for T20s at no time did we even threaten to even challenge South Africa in them and they were justified in winning 3-0. A change of eleven is needed lets hope for change when Zimbabwe come over to get a boost before Oman/UAE.
The hope after the ODIs blown away due to the T20s but I was impressed and give an A for the ODIs and D- for the T20s
The Womens matches vs Netherlands seen Ireland win the 4 match series 2-1 with 1 abandonment and I was happy with the ODI 1 and 2 matches with many of the big name players stepping up to the plate and seeing the interaction between players and supporters at Malahide via photos from various Cricket sites was pleasing after 15 long months. The 3rd ODI was abandoned and I would like to congratulate the groundsmen at Malahide for their trojan work to get the 4th ODI on after the rains that hit the Dublin region. The 4th ODI when on a winning run you dont change a side barring some player welfare even though Babette deLeede played well to guide Netherlands to their win.
I still fully expect Ireland to win the upcoming qualifier in Spain with Netherlands, Scotland, Germany, France and Turkey in that order, but the timing could be bad because of the Scottish Women still involved in English competitions and the Turkish Women unable to train because of fresh lockdowns and the horrible fires at the moment.
Ed I have been looking at some pictures of the NCU grounds on social media and others recently I have come up with my top 5 do you agree
1 Stormont CSNI
2 The Mall Armagh
3 Upritchard Park Bangor
4 The Lawn Waringstown
5 Comber North Down
Stay safe Ed post soon

The Ireland v Zimbabwe Men’s series
T20I series:
27 August: Ireland Men v Zimbabwe Men - 1st T20I (Clontarf, start 12pm)
29 August: Ireland Men v Zimbabwe Men – 2nd T20I (Clontarf, start 12pm)
1 September: Ireland Men v Zimbabwe Men – 3rd T20I (Bready, start 3pm)
2 September: Ireland Men v Zimbabwe Men – 4th T20I (Bready, start 3pm)
4 September: Ireland Men v Zimbabwe Men – 5th T20I (Bready, start 3pm)
Wolves match:
6 September: Ireland Wolves v Zimbabwe XI – ODM (Venue TBC, start 10.30am)
World Cup Super League series:
8 September: Ireland Men v Zimbabwe Men – 1st ODI (Stormont, start 10.30am)
10 September: Ireland Men v Zimbabwe Men – 2nd ODI (Stormont, start 10.30am)
13 September: Ireland Men v Zimbabwe Men – 3rd ODI (Stormont, start 10.30am)
Watching and attending the series
The World Cup Super League matches will be broadcast live, with a list of channels carrying the matches released closer to the series.
The T20I series will be livestreamed free through Cricket Ireland Live on Youtube.
Spectator capacity limits will be in place to ensure compliance with local jurisdictional COVID regulations. Tickets will go on sale shortly, with separate communications relating to ticketing to be sent out next week.

Hi Ed how are you doing. I am well and double jabbed so that particular worry is over.
On to a few things that I would like to comment on
1 The Roy Torrens tribute match that has been called off should be played at the end of September or early October if the weather is good and when we know where we stand re the new virus strain but this should have been dealt with by both sides of the border which brings me on to point 2
2 The new virus is affecting the young who have not been vaccinated and this is a worry not only in life but the sport field. Sports clubs should have been pressing for the vaccine to be given to them so that sport could continue not only cricket but all sport
3 I feel sorry for the Roy Torrens organisation re the match being called off but I hope someone in Cricket Ireland name a Trophy after him, like the T20 Competition contested by all 4 winners from the Unions on the island and maybe an award for long service contributions to the sport. Roy Torrens will be missed and condolences to his family and friends. Rest In Peace
4 The issue the registration of players needs to be looked into and not just cricket as I have seen over the years and again it reared its head with Waringstown been removed from the cup. It needs to be looked into and I am sure it should be priority one at the AGM later in the year

5 May I congratulate the Muckamore II ladies on their win vs. Holywood in the Challenge Plate and nice to see them take their place now in the Challenge Cup proper and nice to see some nice photos on various sites and that the weather played ball.
And finally,
6 I just noticed a competition called the midweek league on the Northern Cricket website and just wondered is this a sort of taverners team with some ex professionals in the sides and just wondering why the PSNI if in this comp couldn't play on Saturdays in a league?
Stay safe Ed will comment on the Ireland Men v South Africa Men when the ODIs and T20s are over to give my account

HISTORIC WIN FOR IRELAND
Andrew Balbirnie delivered a captain’s knock as Ireland Men pulled off their first-ever victory over South Africa in the second game of the DafaNews Cup ODI series at Malahide..
The 30-year-old’s knock of 102 was followed by a fine 79 from Harry Tector as Ireland set the Proteas an imposing target of 291. The visitors responded strongly through a third-wicket stand of 108 between Janneman Malan and Rassie van der Dussen, but Ireland’s bowling attack fought back to help secure a historic 43-run win
After Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bowl, Balbirnie – opening the batting after William Porterfield was ruled out of the match with an injured finger - and Paul Stirling got the Ireland innings off to a solid start, putting on 64 for the first wicket. While Stirling enjoyed some luck – he was dropped twice in his innings of 27 - Balbirnie looked in fine touch from the get-go, reeling off five boundaries as he moved to 23.
Keshav Maharaj was the man to break through for South Africa, bouncing back from a Stirling boundary to bowl the big-hitting right-hander in the 14th over. Andrew McBrine was the next man in for Ireland, batting above No.6 for the first time in his international career. While Balbirnie advanced to fifty off 51 deliveries, the left-hander at the other end was watchful in the early stages of his innings, reaching 22 off 44 deliveries. Then came the attack as McBrine deposited Tabraiz Shamsi for back-to-back fours. But the left-arm wrist-spinner had his revenge immediately, with McBrine failing to connect with a reverse sweep to be trapped LBW and depart for 30.
Tector arrived next at the crease and was in some trouble straight away – Shamsi managed to find the 21-year-old’s outside edge but Kyle Verreynne was unable to hold on behind the stumps. Tector’s difficult start continued as Anrich Nortje launched a short-ball barrage and managed to strike the helmet with one particularly vicious delivery.
But Tector eventually found his flow, hitting Maharaj for six in the 36th over before delivering another maximum in the 37th off Andile Phehlukwayo. Balbirnie, dropped by Kagiso Rabada on 74, continued to nurdle at the other end and a seventh ODI century was his reward, with three figures reached from 114 deliveries.
In a bid to up the ante, Balbirnie fell for 102 as he tried to loft one down the ground, but then came a sparkling partnership between Tector and George Dockrell. After facing just three deliveries, Dockrell smashed Rabada for six to set the tone for his innings – when he departed from the final ball of the innings, he had 45 runs to his name after facing just 23 deliveries. The introduction of Dockrell appeared to lift Tector too as he joined in on the fun, launching a full toss from Rabada for a huge six over midwicket. Their partnership was worth 90, despite lasting just 46 deliveries.
Malan provided an explosive start to South Africa in their chase, racing to 20 from 14 deliveries, but his partner Aiden Markram fell for 5 to Craig Young before Bavuma pulled Josh Little to Dockrell for 10 to leave South Africa 51-2. From there Malan and van der Dussen went to work – while the former finished with seven fours and four sixes in his impressive 84, the latter made sure to run hard, collecting just two boundaries on his way to 49.
Dockrell made the key breakthrough, getting Malan to find Mark Adair at deep midwicket, and van der Dussen fell just seven deliveries later as McBrine trapped him in front of his stumps. Regular breakthroughs followed as every member of Ireland’s attack claimed at least one scalp each. Rabada threatened to cause disruption after smashing two sixes, but he was dismissed in dramatic fashion: after Keshav Maharaj found Curtis Campher’s hands from a waist-high no-ball, the Ireland fielder remained alert to run out Rabada, who was out of his ground at the wicketkeeper’s end, with the help of Lorcan Tucker.
Mark Adair, who took two in two in the 49th over, wrapped things up and the celebrations followed – Ireland could rejoice in a momentous win.
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland Men v South Africa Men, 2nd ODI DafaNews Cup, Malahide Cricket Club, 13 July 2021
Ireland 290-5 (50 overs; A Balbirnie 102, H Tector 79, G Dockrell 45; A Phehlukwayo 2-73)
South Africa 247 (48.3 overs; J Malan 84, R van der Dussen 49; A McBrine 2-34)

Ireland won by 43 runs

Balbirnie welcomes the return of men’s home internationals, as tickets go on public sale for Ireland v South Africa series
DUBLIN – Ireland Men’s captain Andrew Balbirnie welcomed the return of men’s international cricket in Ireland – the first such matches since September 2019 – as tickets go on general sale for the upcoming One-Day International and T20 International matches against South Africa at Malahide and Stormont.
Speaking following today’s training session, Balbirnie said:
“It feels great to finally be playing a home international again as a team. It’s been a trying year playing in front of no fans away from home, so to get the opportunity to play in front of friends, family and supporters is very exciting for all of us.”
“Having spectators certainly makes a difference - creating an atmosphere at a ground that will hopefully bring out the best in some of our players. Just the buzz around the ground is something I personally have missed and I hope over the next while we all feel that again.”
“We know how tough this upcoming series is going to be against an in-form South African side, but these are the opportunities and series that as a player you want to play in. So, hopefully over the next month we see some big performances in green.”
FIXTURES
The series schedule is:
World Cup Super League ODI series
• 11 July: Ireland v South Africa, 1st ODI (Malahide)
• 13 July: Ireland v South Africa, 2nd ODI (Malahide)
• 16 July: Ireland v South Africa, 3rd ODI (Malahide)
T20I series
• 19 July: Ireland v South Africa, 1st T20I (Malahide)
• 22 July: Ireland v South Africa, 2nd T20I (Stormont)
• 24 July: Ireland v South Africa, 3rd T20I (Stormont)
TICKETS
Tickets pricing and purchase are available online via: https://bit.ly/IrishCricketTix
While tickets are expected to sell out quickly, fans who miss out may still get an opportunity to attend as Cricket Ireland expects a number of tickets allocated to stakeholders will be returned and will then be placed on sale. These will be announced via Cricket Ireland’s social media channels.
IRELAND MEN’S SQUADS
ODI squad
Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Graham Kennedy, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter, Barry McCarthy, William Porterfield, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.
T20I squad
Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, William McClintock, Kevin O’Brien, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

Ireland v South Africa serie
11 July: Ireland v South Africa, 1st ODI (Malahide)*
13 July: Ireland v South Africa, 2nd ODI (Malahide)*
16 July: Ireland v South Africa, 3rd ODI (Malahide)*
19 July: Ireland v South Africa, 1st T20I (Malahide)
22 July: Ireland v South Africa, 2nd T20I (Stormont)
24 July: Ireland v South Africa, 3rd T20I (Stormont)
Ireland v Zimbabwe series
6 August: Ireland v Zimbabwe, 1st ODI (Stormont)*
8 August: Ireland v Zimbabwe, 2nd ODI (Stormont)*
11 August: Ireland v Zimbabwe, 3rd ODI (Stormont)*
15 August: Ireland v Zimbabwe, 1st T20I (Bready)
17 August: Ireland v Zimbabwe, 2nd T20I (Bready)
20 August: Ireland v Zimbabwe, 3rd T20I (Bready)
22 August: Ireland v Zimbabwe, 4th T20I (Stormont)
24 August: Ireland v Zimbabwe, 5th T20I (Stormont)