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

Ireland beat South Africa for the first time in a T20I after posting their highest total against them and successfully defending it in Abu Dhabi. In the process, they became the first team to win a match by batting first in the last eight T20Is at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Ross shared Ireland’s second-highest opening stand in the format – 137 – with his captain Paul Stirling, who scored his first fifty in 21 T20Is. His start meant that Ireland were on top of 200 but were left without a few runs, losing 6 wickets for 43 runs from 32 balls. Still, he asked South Africa to complete the most successful chase in a T20I at this point and they made a fist of it.

Reza Hendricks’ second consecutive half-century from Matthew Bretzke opened the scoring but Ireland struck hard enough to ensure the South African middle-order’s required run-rate became too big. They needed 108 from the last 10 overs, with nine wickets to spare, and 53 from the last five overs, with seven wickets in the bank, and that’s when Mark Adair struck. He went around the wicket to Tristan Stubbs who pushed at a wide ball and was caught behind. This sparked a disaster that saw South Africa lose 5 wickets for 25 and find themselves 11 runs short.

Ross Adair is riding his luck.

Take nothing away from Ross’ innings, which was a display of all-round hitting, but he will know that he should have been dismissed not once, not twice, not three, not four, but five times. He gave South Africa their first chance in the powerplay on 19, when he was fed up by Lizard Williams’ short ball and miscued a pull towards deep square leg. The catch was taken but Williams had overstepped and Adair batted.

Then, in the 14th over, soon after Stirling’s dismissal, Adair hit Williams at deep backward point to Wayne Mulder on 78. Williams gets both hands on it but palmes the ball over the boundary rope to Adair in the 80s. Next ball Adair swung wildly and hit it straight but Ryan Rickleton couldn’t make enough ground to take the catch. And the next ball, Adair was at the non-striker’s end when Harry Tector called him for a single and then changed his mind. Patrick Kruger could have run out Adair but missed his throw at extra cover. Adair wasn’t quite the threat and in the next over, on 90, he offered Kruger a comeback but it went over him and Adair continued on. He scored a 57-ball 100 and finished with nine sixes, the most by an Irish batsman in the format.

SA strangled Ireland in the final overs.

In the first match, South Africa conceded just six runs in the last two overs of Ireland’s innings to chase down a tie score. This time they conceded just 19 runs in the last three overs to keep Ireland below 200. Lungi Ngidi, who has been at his best on this tour, started the squeeze with slow ball overs. This included a ball that completely foxed Neil Rock, who was too early on his shot, and took out his middle stump. Ngidi finished with figures of 1 for 23 from four overs. Kruger bowled the 19th over, starting with a run out as Mark Adair came in for the second run and was also suffering from the pace. And Williams was awarded the last over, with South Africa penalized for over-rate and having to have an extra fielder in the ring. Still, he conceded no bounds as he stuck to the yorker’s length.

Humphreys gave a belated birthday present.

Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys turned 22 on Saturday and celebrated with a trip to the Abu Dhabi Louvre but the real gift came 24 hours later when he picked up his first wicket of the series, and it was a big one. After conceding 26 runs in his first three overs, Humphreys was given the 14th over to finish and made a big cut. With 66 needed off 39 balls, Aiden Markram reverse-swept early but didn’t account for Humphries’ change of pace. He sent the ball down quickly, he beat Markram and bowled him. Humphreys finished with 1 for 30, leaving South Africa’s middle order with a lot to do.

The Magic of Mark Adair

After dismissing Stubbs, Mark Adair opened up South Africa’s middle order and then dismissed him in the 19th over. South Africa needed 23 off the last 12, and Mark Adair sent a slower ball to Mulder, which went straight up and Adair took it to complete the catch. Two balls later, Bretzke tried to swat Mark Adair down the leg side but sent the ball straight to Harry Tector at long-on. Mark Adair closed his over when Naqba Peter hit him at extra cover, where Sterling took a diving catch to put Ireland in the pound seats. Graham Hume had 17 runs to defend in the last over and took two wickets in doing so.