ODI cricket and general cricketing discussion [self - mod]

[Minecache]

Yes you are right South Africa played very well showing how strong they are in One Day International match. On the other hand Ireland had tough time. They played like they do in shorter T20 games losing wickets quickly. Ireland could not adjust to longer game and their players could not protect their wickets. South Africa batsmen put a lot of pressure on them. As result Ireland was knocked out after scoring just 132 runs in 32 overs losing by big margin. This big loss shows how much better South Africa is and how much Ireland needs to improve their ODI game.

South Africa failed to win the T20 series. South Africa won the first match but lost the second match. Ireland's batsmen batted well. As a result they were able to beat a big and experienced team like South Africa.

South Africa is a much more experienced team than Ireland in the ODI series. And they proved it in the first match itself. South Africa team won against Ireland by a big margin of 139 runs. The pitch was not batting friendly. The South African batsmen set a target of 272 runs. And Ireland's batsmen managed to collect only 132 runs. South Africa won the first ODI match easily.

[Sithara007]

Ireland defeated South Africa in the second match of the T20I series. Ireland performed well in the T20 series, managing to set a big enough target. T20 and ODI formats are not the same, you have to bat patiently in ODI matches. Many of us thought Ireland would perform well in the ODI series after seeing Ireland's excellent performance in the T20 series. But South Africa team is strong in ODI format, their batsmen have managed to bat well with patience. Where Ireland's batsmen could not bat well with patience. No Irish batsman could score more than 21 runs. Ireland defeated South Africa in T20 series but it is very difficult for them to defeat South Africa in ODI series. South Africa won the first match to take a 1-0 lead. I think Ireland will be whitewashed in the ODI series.

The team balance is simply not there with the Irish team. Some of their players (especially the Adair brothers and Craig Young) are performing really well, while some others are not living up to the expectations. As a result, the performance of the team overall has been volatile. Given the fact that South Africa is without many of their regular players, it was expected from Ireland to give a few upset wins. The results from the 4 matches so far has been pretty mixed. But overall, not too many positives for Ireland.