South Africa beat Ireland in first T20I: Key stats
South Africa beat Ireland in the first T20I in what was an exciting encounter at the County Ground in Bristol. Batting first, SA managed 211/5 in 20 overs. Reeza Hendricks scored a 53-ball 74. In response, Lorcan Tucker's 78-run effort wasn't enough as SA sealed a 21-run win. SA have taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
SA were reduced to 45/2 before Hendricks and Aiden Markram added a century-plus stand to put the visitors back on track. SA lost both these players on the same score (157) before Tristan Stubbs and Dwaine Pretorius helped the side finish on a strong note. In response, Ireland batted well but couldn't get past SA's total. Keshav Maharaj (2/29) was terrific.
Hendricks shines for SA once again
Hendricks continued his fine form with the bat to bring up his fourth successive T20I half-century. He got scores of 57, 53, and 70 in the T20Is versus England. Against Ireland, he clocked a sublime 74, smashing 10 fours and a six. Hendricks has raced to 1,330 runs in T20Is at 29.55. He slammed his 11th T20I fifty. This was also his highest score.
Markram smashes his 8th T20I fifty
Aiden Markram also showed his mettle by slamming a 27-ball 56. He hit two fours and five sixes. Markram has raced to 695 runs for SA in T20Is at 43.43. He registered his 8th T20I fifty. He surpassed Jacques Kallis (666) in terms of runs for SA. Markram also slammed his second successive fifty in T20Is.
Crucial numbers for Stirling and Tucker
Paul Stirling scored 19 runs for Ireland upfront. The southpaw has raced to 2,912 runs at 29.41. He is now the fourth T20I batter with 2,900-plus runs. Tucker hammered five fours and seven sixes in his crucial 78. He has gone past the 500-run mark in T20Is (545) at 18.79. This was his third T20I fifty.
Key numbers for the SA bowlers
Tabraiz Shamsi claimed two wickets for 37 runs from his four overs. The left-arm spinner has raced to 68 T20I scalps at 20.88. Wayne Parnell (2/36) has raced to 45 T20I wickets at 25.80. Keshav Maharaj (2/29) has 15 T20I scalps for SA at 27.46.
