Adair brothers star as Ireland level series

Ireland 195 for 6 (R Adair 100, Stirling 52, Mulder 2-51) beat South Africa 185 for 9 (Hendricks 51, Breetzke 51, M Adair 4-31, Hume 3-25)

Ireland beat South Africa without precedent for a T20I after posting their highest total against them and successfully safeguarding it in Abu Dhabi. In the process, they became the first team to dominate a game batting first at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in the last eight T20Is at the scene.

In what was a family affair, Ross Adair grabbed the early headlines when he scored a 57-ball hundred, his first in T20Is - and Ireland's third 100 years in the format - before his more youthful brother, Mark Adair, took 4 for 31 to seal the success.

Ross set the tone when he shared Ireland's second-highest opening stand in the format - 137 - with his captain Paul Stirling, who scored his first fifty of every 21 T20Is. Their start meant Ireland were on track for a score above 200 however lost 6 for 43 out of 32 balls to leave some runs unscored. Still, they asked South Africa to finish the highest successful chase in T20Is at this setting and they made a fist of it.

Ireland vs South Africa, 1st T20I

Reeza Hendricks scored his second successive half-century Matthew Breetzke his first however Ireland struck often to the point of ensuring the necessary run rate got too enormous on South Africa's middle request. They required 108 off the last 10 overs, with nine wickets in hand, and 53 off the last five overs, with seven wickets in the bank, and that is when Mark Adair struck. He circumvented the wicket to Tristan Stubbs, who pushed at a wide ball and was caught behind. That sparked a collapse that saw South Africa lose 5 wickets for 25 to fall 11 runs short.

Ross Adair rides his karma

Take nothing away from Ross' innings, which was an exhibition of all-round hitting, however he will realize he should have been out not once, not two times, not three, not four yet five times. He offered South Africa a first chance on 19, in the powerplay, when he was cramped by a Lizaad Williams short ball and miscued a draw to profound square leg. The catch was taken yet Williams had overstepped and Adair batted on.

Then, in the fourteenth over, immediately after Stirling was dismissed, Adair, on 78, hit Wiaan Mulder to Williams at profound backward point. Williams got two hands to it however palmed the ball over the boundary rope to send Adair into the 80s. Adair swung fiercely at the following ball and hit it straight up yet Ryan Rickleton couldn't make sufficient ground to take the catch. And the ball after that, Adair was at the non-striker's end when Harry Tector called him through for a single and then changed his brain. Patrick Kruger might have run Adair out yet he missed his toss from extra cover. Adair had not exactly had enough of danger and in the following over, on 90, he offered Kruger a return chance however it just went over him and Adair continued onward. He raised 100 off 57 balls and finished with nine sixes, the most by an Irish batter in the format.

Ireland vs South Africa, 2nd T20I Live Cricket Score IRE vs SA, Sep 29 

SA strangle Ireland in end overs

In the first match, South Africa gave away only six runs in the last two overs of the Ireland innings to leave them short of a par score; this time they gave away only 19 in the last three overs to hold Ireland under 200. Lungi Ngidi, who has been superb on the tour, started the squeeze with an over of slower balls. That incorporated a ball that totally foxed Neil Rock, who was far too early on his shot, and took out his middle stump. Ngidi finished with an analysis of 1 for 23 out of four overs. Kruger bowled the nineteenth, what started with a run-out as Mark Adair was scrambling briefly run and was also sprinkled with pace-off. And Williams was given the last over by which time South Africa brought about an over-rate penalty and had to have an extra defender in the ring. Still, he did not concede any boundaries as he stuck to yorker lengths.

Humphreys belated birthday present

Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys turned 22 on Saturday and celebrated with an outing to the Abu Dhabi Louver yet the real gift came 24 hours later when he took his first wicket of the series, and it was a major one. After conceding 26 runs in his first three overs, Humphreys was surrendered the fourteenth to finish and he made a major incision. With 66 required off 39 balls, Aiden Markram premeditated a reverse-sweep yet did not account for the change of pace from Humphreys. He sent the ball down speedier, it beat Markram and bowled him. Humphreys finished with 1 for 30 and left South Africa's middle request with too a lot to do.

Ireland vs South Africa, 1st ODI | IRE vs SA | Live Cricket Score

Mark Adair magic

After dismissing Stubbs, Mark Adair opened up South Africa's middle request and then dismantled it in the nineteenth over. South Africa required 23 runs off the last 12, and Mark Adair sent down a slower ball to Mulder, who hit straight up and Adair took it on himself to finish the catch. Two balls later, Breetzke attempted to swat Mark Adair through the leg side yet sent the ball straight to Harry Tector at long-on. Mark Adair closed out his over when Nqaba Peter hit him to extra cover, where Stirling took a plunging catch to place Ireland in the pound seats. Graham Hume had 17 runs to guard off the last over and picked up two wickets in the process of doing that.