Ireland Vs South Africa, Match Preview
Ireland is one game away from making history. They lead the series one-zero, and a win would give them their first series win against a team ranked in the top eight. A win will also take them to third on the ODI Super League and deliver them large hopes of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup.
However, a win for South Africa will only take them to tenth, leaving them with a lot of work to do ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. They lost the first ODI as the batting struggled, but South Africa may be boosted with the return of Quinton De Kock.
Along with Cricket, the South African side will have some other issues going on in their mind as there is some violent unrest going on back home. Several members of the side have families located close to the hotspots, and South Africa will have to push themselves to focus on the game. They will also hope to give their nation something to smile about after a challenging country.
Ireland Vs South Africa, Team News
Quinton De Kock was rested for the first two games but could be back with a series on the line. His re-entry would cause some changes to the batting line-up, with Markram likely shifting to the middle-order. Lizaad Williams is another bowler who could come in as a second spinner.
William Porterfield missed the second game to an injury but started the first game well as an opener. If he doesn’t recover, Ireland will have to continue with the same opening pair for the next game. Curtis Campher is back from ankle surgery but will play as a batter only. Despite a change in role, Campher may continue to bat a little lower as Ireland has chosen George Dockrell to bat up the order.
Ireland Vs South Africa, Predicted XIs
Ireland: (possible) 1 Paul Stirling, 2 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 3 Andy McBrine, 4 Harry Tector, 5 George Dockrell, 6 Mark Adair, 7 Curtis Campher, 8 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 9 Simi Singh, 10 Josh Little, 11 Craig Young
South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Janneman Malan, 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Kyle Verreynne, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Lizaad Williams, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi
Ireland Vs South Africa, Players to Watch out For
Anrich Nortje
South Africa’s death bowling has been an issue for them in the West Indies and during the second ODI. They have a good set of pacers, and each bowl a fair share of overs in the death. Despite experience in the death overs, the bowlers still miss their Yorkers and bowl loose deliveries. Anrich Nortje is known for his pace, and a good performance from him in the death can help bring the South African pacers back to life in the end.
Harry Tector
Harry Tector played brilliant innings and was the difference between the two sides as he helped Ireland get to a good score. His innings helped accelerate the innings after a good start and gave Ireland a match-winning score. Harry Tector is relatively new to international Cricket but has done a bit in his brief stint for Ireland. He is a clean hitter of the ball, and the runs added by him can make a massive difference to the outcome of the game.
Ireland Vs South Africa, Pitch Report
The pitch aids seam movement early in the game, but batting gets easier as the match progresses. The boundaries are small, leading to higher scores. The weather forecast predicts small chances of rain. With batting getting more accessible as the game progresses, chasing may be the better option.
