The ODI series between Ireland and South Africa continues in Abu Dhabi on Friday when the two sides meet for the second match of the three with the series on the line in a match which has some context for both teams.
Ireland won the second T20 match between the two last week and they will be looking to win this one and force a decider on Monday. South Africa will be eyeing up the series here and the chance to give the squad a run out.
Ireland
This series must be a little difficult for Ireland. There isn’t a huge amount of context to it as far as they are concerned. There is no Champions Trophy for them. The next 50 over World Cup is three years away and qualifying for it doesn’t begin for Ireland for a while. What this is though is a chance to remind people that they can compete with the best in this format of the game and open up doors to more chances to prove themselves against the other leading nations.
Ireland generally struggle with the ball at the top level but that wasn’t the case in the opening game of the series. There could have been no real arguments with their bowling effort. They allowed one partnership to get away from them from two really good players but they pulled it back well in the last 15 overs of the innings but they just couldn’t get any partnerships going with the bat and that is where they will need to improve if they are going to level the series.
South Africa
Unlike their opponents in this match, South Africa do have a purpose and some context to this series. We are around four months away from the Champions Trophy which they will want to go to with some decent hopes of winning the competition and finally ending their long barren run without silverware. They are using a number of their fringe players but some of these will go to Pakistan for that tournament so this is a chance for those men to prove that they should be on the plane.
South Africa will want a fuller contribution from their entire batting unit but I always like a side who can show a bit of fight and nous to get themselves out of a hole rather than just keep trying to hit their way out of a position and dig a deeper hole which they can’t get out of. That is very much to their credit as was their bowling performance and if there is a bit of natural improvement in the side then they are entitled to think they win the series here.
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Team News
Lorcan Tucker was a surprise absentee from the opening match of the series but given that the Ireland batting failed them in that first game you would imagine they will be bringing in another batter to add depth to the line up.
South Africa might choose to stick with a winning side for this one and hope that they get the series won before they rotate and give their squad players a game. If they do want to change Nandre Burger could be an option.
Betting
This isn’t the easiest series to bet on because of the indifferent nature of the Ireland performances in this format. If this was a T20 match we have a huge bank of historical games against big nations to judge Ireland on but that isn’t as much of the case in the 50 over format. The first game didn’t really give us too many clues other than one partnership can take a match away from them but that isn’t a situation I want to be betting on either in truth.
I do think that Mark Adair is overpriced to be the top Ireland bowler though. You can get 10/3 on that happening and in the three matches he has played on this tour so far he has won the second and third matches, one a T20 game and in the opening ODI match, and he tied the first T20 and would have lost out on being more expensive. He is clearly troubling the South Africa batters though and bowling at the times the cheaper wickets come about I think he is a fair punt.
Tips
Back M.Adair Top Ireland Bowler for a 2/10 stake at 4.33 with Bet365
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