Ireland Women 143/7
South Africa Women (20 ov, T:144) 133/7
Ireland Women won by 10 runs
Player of the match: Leah Paul
Ireland Women beat South Africa Women: The South Africa Women are touring Ireland for 3-match T20Is and a 3-match ODIs series. In the opening T20I game played at Dublin, it was SA-W who won the toss and elected to field first. Ireland put up a good total of 144 for SA to chase which the Proteas failed to reach, resulting in 10 runs win for the hosts.
Batting first, the young Ireland Captain Lewis (21) set the tone for the squad with her focused effort, assisting the club in reaching 40 for no loss on the powerplay. She hit four of the six powerplay home runs and continued to hit fours even after the fielding limits were eased. Lewis had reached 46 at the end of the 10th over, and Paul had picked up the pace as well, hitting three fours in two overs to help Ireland reach 83 at 10 overs. Lewis went on to make a 36-ball fifty before being run out for 52 in the 13th over, ending the opening stand at 98. Shabnim Ismail dismissed Paul in the next over, while Tryon dismissed Mary Waldron in the 16th. Tumi who was wicketless throughout the match, took three wickets in the 19th over to keep South Africa’s bowling attack going. Ireland did not end their innings as effectively as they would have liked, scoring only 20 runs in the final three overs and finishing with a score of under 145.
Rachel Delaney got Ireland off to a flying start, removing Lara Goodall for a golden duck and producing a wicket maiden in the opening over. A cautious partnership between Anne Bosch and Laura Wolvaardt lasted only until the ninth over, when the latter fell to Cara Murray. Bosch was on 7 off19 when Wolvaardt was dismissed, and she pushed the pace. Celeste Raack dismissed Bosch for 29 in the 14th over, ensuring that the partnership between Bosch and Sune Luus did not turn out to be a substantial one. Even after Luus and Tryon’s efforts, things didn’t appear to be going in SA’s favor. Soon, Leah Paul took the crucial wicket of Tryon in the 18th over, dismissing her for a 15-ball 26. With 22 required off 12, South Africa could only muster four runs in the 19th overs, with Kelly dismissing Luus as well. Jane Maguire bowled a brilliant final over, conceding only 7 runs to assist Ireland to take a 1-0 lead.
It is only the 2nd time Ireland Women beat South Africa Women in 11 T20Is played between the teams so far. The game that started off with Ireland’s youngest ever captain hitting a half-century, ended with their bowlers taking wickets at a crucial time and ensuring the game never left their hold. The last time the Irish team won against South Africa was in 2016. This win must have brought in a great, much-required confidence boost for the team.
