South Africa vs Ireland: 5 things to look forward to

The 2nd and 3rd placed teams in Pool B will battle it out tomorrow at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. South Africa have won 2 of 3 games so far, while Ireland have won both of theirs, and it should be an interesting contest. While South Africa may have the odds in favour of them, it would be foolish on their part to underestimate the Irish, because they have sprung up upsets in the past, and recently defeated the West Indies as well.It was exactly four years ago that Kevin O’Brien hit the fastest World Cup century in the game against England to hand the Irish a 3-wicket win. They have played 3 ODIs against each other so far, with 2 of them being World Cup encounters, and South Africa have come out victorious all three times. But with the momentum that the Irish are carrying this time, they just might get something to think about.Here are 5 things to look forward to in the game:

#5 South Africas bench strength

With Vernon Philander and JP Duminy out with injury, South Africa’s bench strength will be put to the test once again Ireland. They actually did quite well last game. Rilee Rossouw impressed with his quick fifty, while Kyle Abbott picked up 2 wickets with the ball. There is a high possibility that all-rounder Farhaan Behardien will also feature in the playing XI, who was not tested in the last game against the Windies.

While it also gives the key players some rest, having your bench players on the field against the minnows gives the team an idea of who they can pick next time there is a vacancy. It is a good opportunity for the players themselves to cement their places permanently in the side. Rossouw’s display last match may well have done that. Whatever may be the case, they have an important role to play in the clash tomorrow, and if the Proteas win it, it will make the road to the quarters a lot easier for them.

#4 George Dockrell v Hashim Amla

Dockrell has impressed in the tournament so far with his left arm orthodox bowling. He picked up 3 crucial wickets against the West Indies – those of Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Dinesh Ramdin. Even against the UAE, he was effective and claimed the wicket of their No. 4 batsman. He is the frontline spin bowling option for the Irish, and does the job of claiming the most important wickets. The South Africans have in Amla, one of the finest players of spin bowling in the world, and it should be noteworthy to see how both handle one another.

If Amla gets his eye in before the fast bowlers are able to upset him, he is bound to get a big score. He will try and play out the middle overs, and it is most likely he will face Dockrell. If the Irish skipper is to be believed, they have individual plans for each of the South African batsmen. Amla will certainly prove to be a headache if they don’t get him early, and they would hope their plan for him works out. Dockrell will have to put pressure and get him out, otherwise Amla might just hammer his spin bowling, which is something that is his forte.

#3 Kevin OBriens approach

He is the best all-rounder among both teams. He can hit the cricket ball very hard and do some fast scoring, as is no doubt known after his hundred in 2011, and also his 25-ball 50 in the last game against UAE to help Ireland chase down 278. He is no slouch with the ball either, and the skipper William Porterfield can rely on him to get in some 6-7 overs of good bowling, if not the full quota of 10.

He has proved to be very instrumental at the No. 7 position, especially if they are chasing. It is his presence that makes the batting line-up so deep, and also adds zing to their bowling. His approach will be one to keep an eye out for in the game. If he can give a satisfactory performance in one department and ace the other, he will have done a major contribution to the Irish cause.

#2 Paul Stirling vs Dale Steyn

The star of the game and man of the match against the Windies, opener Paul Stirling will be in the limelight as far as Irish expectations are concerned. He is the fast scorer of the opening pair which comprises of him and the skipper Porterfield. While Porterfield looks to see off the new ball and give a solid foundation, Stirling has the job of taking on the bowling early on and scoring the runs.

It will be easier said than done against the Proteas bowling attack, where he will be faced with the near-flawless Dale Steyn. His pace and accuracy are sure to pose problems to the Irishman who would not be used to such high quality bowling often. Not that it will be impossible for him to fend off Steyn’s bowling, but he will have to back himself to do so. Steyn hasn’t been his original self so far in the tournament, but he is still a force to reckon with, and may well choose his 100th ODI to herald his return back to being the dangerous bowler that he is.

As for the South Africans, they will surely have a look at his 84-ball 92 before the game, and will try to get him early, and it is very probable that Steyn will be entrusted with the task.

#1 AB de Villiers

It has been observed that AB de Villiers the batsman comes to the rescue of AB de Villiers the captain. That is exactly what happened against West Indies, and precisely what Mohit Sharma’s run-out prevented from happening in the game against India. If AB the batsman plays his best on the day, there isn’t much left for AB the skipper to do. However, if they are bowling first, the batter will have to come later and redress what the skipper has done.

You can’t spot any flaws in the batter. He is currently ranked at No. 1, and not without reason. No bowler today has a way to contain him, let alone take his wicket. His innings last game would have perfectly scared the Irish bowlers, who have the daunting task of bowling to him tomorrow. It is Ireland’s turn now to have a go at the batsman and see if they can get his wicket early without taking too much damage. It is the same ground where Chris Gayle mutilated Zimbabwe, which is another thought that the Irish will be having.

It is De Villiers, the captain, who will have to step up. He will have to attack better, get some more wickets going in the middle overs, and be more innovative with his field placing and bowler rotation. Since they are playing an associate country tomorrow, he can view this as an opportunity to try some new things. He has the responsibility of getting the combinations right and the rhythm of the team going for the future stages of the tournament. So he can view the upcoming game as a practice for that. It will be a very good thing to see AB the skipper winning the game for them rather than AB the batsman.