Day 1 Apart from a magnificent catch by international debutant Richie McDaid, and another rather less spectacular effort by Jonty Rhodes, there was little to induce coronary arrest at Castle Avenue yesterday, at the start of the three-day match between Ireland and the South African Academy side. At the close of play on day one Ireland were 11 for the loss of one wicket in reply to the Development side's 253 for eight declared.
Maybe the cut-and-thrust of limited overs cricket has spoiled us, but excitement was at a premium yesterday, though it must be said that the touring side includes many talented performers, all of them fine-honing their skills at the South African Cricket Board Academy in Johannesburg. James Bryant was top scorer with 77, off 137 deliveries and including 12 fours and 16. Ahmed Amla was not far behind with 72 off 153 balls with 10 fours and one six.
A few spilled catches cost Ireland dearly but Kyle McCallan tried hard and ended as Ireland's most successful bowler, with 3 for 67 off his 24 overs while Paul Mooney picked up a brace for 57. Rhodes held a catch of McCallan's bowling to dispatch Quentin Still and break the opening partnership before lunch. However, the fielding honours of the day went to McDaid, whose one-handed diving take at deep mid-off dismissed Van den Berg.
At the close, Peter Davy and Stephen Smyth were together, Dewald Pretorius having removed Neil Carson in the second over with just one run on the board.
Day 2 When play resumes this morning at Castle Avenue on the third and final day of their encounter with the South Africa Development XI, Ireland will be trailing by 182 runs, with the visitors first-wicket partnership between Quentin Still and Ahmed Amla still intact. This may not sound encouraging, but matters might have been much worse, as a stand of 57 for the sixth wicket between Angus Dunlop and Kyle McCallan saved at the follow-on, after the Irish were 82-5, with all the higher order batsmen, including Jonty Rhodes, gone. Dunlop's defiant 60 came off 136 balls and included one six and seven fours.
McCallan with 24, off 59 deliveries, with three fours, and Peter Davy with 21 were the only other home batsmen to make any significant contribution. Neil Carson having departed the scene the previous evening, Stephen Smyth got out without adding to his overnight single, to be rapidly followed by Rhodes, who was even less successful, with Ireland only 22 runs to the good.
Dunlop shared in a fourth-wicket 25-run stand with the dogged Davy and put on 35 runs for the fifth wicket with Barry Archer, before he and McCallan pulled off their face-saving act. McCallan sustained a badly bruised right thumb, which required an X-ray and was unable to bowl, which is certain to make Ireland's challenge all the more difficult. The Irish found the pace of Pretorius and Andre Nel rather too hot to handle with any comfort. Both pacemen bowled with splendid aggression, Pretorius took 3-40 off 16 overs while the impressive Nel's three wickets cost only 19 runs off 17 overs.
Day 3. My prediction that "a comprehensive clobbering" awaited Ireland on the third day of their match against the South Africa Development XI at Castle Avenue yesterday turned out to be wildly exaggerated. An unbeaten 76 by skipper Angus Dunlop steered Ireland to an honourable and deserved draw, after the cause had seemed lost.
Quentin Still and Ahmed Amla, the not out overnight openers, added a further 65 runs before Neil Carson had Amla caught by Stephen Smyth with the score on 157. He then removed Still just one run later. Amla, who had made 72 in his side's first innings, contributed a cracking 107 the second time around.
Arno Van den Berg declared at 177-3, all three wickets being taken by Carson, who finished with 3-39 off seven overs, leaving Ireland with some 20 minutes batting before lunch, and facing a target of 271 to win. After lunch, the aforementioned clobbering seemed imminent, with Peter Davy, Carson and Smyth all dismissed early.
That brought Jonty Rhodes and Dunlop together. They put on a useful, if hardly match-saving, 66 runs for the fourth wicket before Rhodes was bowled by Pretorius while attempting a rash shot. Barry Archer was Dunlop's next partner and although he scored only seven runs, his tenacity and the captain's power put on an invaluable 54 runs for the fifth wicket. A draw was now on the cards.
When Kyle McCallan quickly departed at 156, the Irish were in trouble again. But Dunlop and Paul Mooney tenaciously battled out the remaining overs for the draw.
Report by Philip Boylan of the Irish Independent.
Day 1 Jonty Rhodes was a little downcast after his Irish debut against South Africa Development team at Castle Avenue yesterday when the first day of the three-day encounter closed with Ireland 11-1 replying to 253-8 declared. Rhodes was mocking his own reputation as a world class fielder, although taking a great diving catch at short mid-wicket to see off Quentin Still, when he paid the ultimate compliment to debutant Richard McDaid "I didn't even take the best catch of the day!"
McDaid was called into this first match of six at a late hour and, although expensive for his one wicket, took a fantastic catch. His wicket owed much to another fine catch, by Peter Davy, who positioned himself well in the covers under a skier by top scorer James Bryant. Barry Archer and Neil Carson also took their first Irish wickets while Kyle McCallan's three wickets suitably marked his return to the fold.
Davy and Stephen Smith will walk out for Ireland today to face more lively seam bowling from Dewald Pretorius, and even sharper material from Andre Nel, bowling down the slope.
Day 2 This first three-day match against South Africa Academy side will get down to business this morning when the visiting skipper, Aldo Van den Berg, decides what target he will set Ireland. At close of play yesterday they had their second innings lead of 185 and, as they have not lost a wicket, the entertainment value and a second examination of Ireland's batting skills will depend on the good timing of his declaration.
Ireland began the second day at 11-1 and eventually reached 160 all out after 64.5 overs, but, with the scoreboard reading 47-4, there was concern that 104 to avoid the follow-on might be a problem. Angus Dunlop, however, rolled in with a timely half-century after Jonty Rhodes departed without scoring off 19 balls. Dunlop was accompanied for a good part of the journey by Kyle McCallan until a lifting ball off a good length from Andre Nel smashed into McCallan's right thumb.
McCallan plans to go to South Africa in the winter and then follow Ryan Eagleson into the English county scene, so it will be a severe disappointment if he is ruled out of action in the near future with a fracture.
Day 3 It was a good day for Irish cricket yesterday with the Irish side taking home great credit from the draw against the South African Development team at Castle Avenue. For a glorious hour in the afternoon when Irish skipper Angus Dunlop and guest player Jonty Rhodes were at the crease, the sporting target of 271 in 65 overs set by Aldo Van Den Berg was on. The fact that the home side would eventually be 77 runs short was of little consequence as the primary aim of the match to gain high-level experience had been achieved.
National coach Mike Hendrick and Rhodes were at one in their praise in the way a team hurriedly put together had knuckled down to unaccustomed long hours in the field. Hendrick made the point that it would "have been a new experience for most of the lads and although there were some lapses late on when they got tired I was very pleased overall". He was also sure that batsmen now realised that "when there is a crescent of fielders in the slip area there is no need to go chasing after the ball".
Rhodes has summed up the difference between the sides under the heading "discipline". "You've got to appreciate that fellas coming straight from work and taking on full-time players are more likely to suffer lapses and I'm sure they will be up for it in the next three-day game" he said. This was not a draw handed out to humour a festival crowd and there was genuine pride among spectators when Angus Dunlop and Paul Mooney walked off. This was vintage Dunlop and Mooney, too, looked very confident in this company.
Peter Davy, Neil Carson and Stephen Smyth had borne the brunt of some class fast bowling by Pretorius, Nel and first change Tyron Henderson. All three batsmen saw their shots end in the safe hands of slip fielders. When three wickets went down for 30 there was some anxiety among Irish followers but that was soon blown away when Dunlop and Rhodes constructed a fourth wicket stand of 66 from 82 deliveries.
The Irish skipper responded to the quicksilver Jonty who signalled his intentions at an early stage by whipping a delivery from Andre Nel on to the roof of the clubhouse. He was disappointed with the shot which got him out, explaining that he instinctively tried to whip such length deliveries over square but the Castle Avenue bounce is a little lower than the norm he would face.
The ICU's emergency committee has waived the strict rule of not allowing players to turn out for their clubs the day before an international so the same team will turn out tomorrow at the same venue for the first of the One Day Internationals. The committee acceded to the selector's request that Stephen Smyth be allowed to play in the Royal Liver Cup against Donemana today because of his professional involvement with his Brigade club, the proviso being that he is back in Dublin tonight.