South Africa’s 4 for 343 (Stubbs 112*, Veraine 67, Mulder 43) defeated Ireland 169 (Young 29, Williams 3-36, Fortuin 2-36, Ngidi 2-38) by 174 runs.
Tristan Stubbs’ maiden ODI century gave South Africa a 174-run victory and an unassailable 2-0 lead over Ireland. Stubbs followed up his maiden ODI fifty in the final match with an unbeaten 81-ball 112 to power South Africa to 343-4 after winning the toss in Abu Dhabi. Lizard Williams then took three wickets with the new ball, effectively keeping Ireland out of contention within the first 10 overs.
Ireland won 9 and lost 117, taking the third-highest 10-wicket ranking in Irish history (between Graham Hume and Craig Young) with 169.
Stubbs was effectively batting at number five as Themba Bavuma retired with a left elbow injury, but he came into bat in the 24th over for South Africa at 136 for two.
Stubbs got off to a lively start, scoring 58 runs with Rassie van der Dussen before partner Kyle Belin picked up the pace.
Bereine, who was drafted into the eleven to replace the injured Tony De Sorge, took Gavin Hoey for four and then took a short arm jab to midwicket from Mark Adair to challenge him short.
Two balls later, Stubbs also pulled Adair for his first boundary.
Then, in the 32nd over, Veraine again beat Adair for the fourth time in a row, breaking the record for half-century and 50 runs.
As Ireland looked at various options for a breakthrough, Stubbs punched Hume over the covers and backfoot punched over the covers to take six points off Hoey’s half-tracker.
The two hit a few more short balls before Bereine danced down the track toward McBrin, but missed the ball and tripped.
What followed was a 28-ball period with no boundaries, with Stubbs scooping Hume in the 43rd over to make it 70.
Wian Mulder sank some short balls in the next two overs, but Hume conceded 18 runs in his 46, 17 of which went to Stubbs. He hit 26 over midwicket with a flick of four in between.
Stubbs hit four outside edges in the 48th inning to bring the score to 99, and his ensuing single marked the century. He reached two more boundaries either side of Mulder’s long-on clearance and further picked out a fielder there to drop 43.
Adair conceded just five runs in his 50 overs, but it looked like South Africa already had more than enough runs left.
This is the third time in a men’s ODI that the top six players of a team have each scored 35 or more points.
Lizard Williams rejoins Wicket • Cricket Ireland
Williams, who had just hit four fours in the first ODI, gave South Africa their first breakthrough in the second over when Andy Balbirnie got an inside edge and deflected it onto the stumps on his pads.
Paul Stirling started the next over with a cream shot off Lungi Ngidi at cover, but the fast bowler got a long ball that stung sharply from outside and crashed into leg stump.
After Harry Tector and Curtis Campher rallied with a run-a-ball stand of 37, Williams’ two hits on two balls put Campfer on the back foot, before trapping Stephen Doheny in front. Doheny only reviewed the ball tracking, showing leg stump clipping the ball against the umpire’s call.
Ottoneil Baartman then urged Tector to stay away from the body, inducing an edge that Rickelton devoured. Ireland lost half their team within 10 overs, leaving only 50 runs.
George Dockrell then chipped Andile Phelukwayo to mid-on in the 13th over as Ireland slid towards another onslaught. Adair hit two fours and a six before holed out trying to go over the ropes again to give Mulder his first wicket. Andy McBrin and Gavin Hoey held on and the young leg-spinner hit Mulder over cover for a six as Ireland crossed the 100 mark in 22 overs.
They picked up a boundary each from Bjorn Fortuyn, but McBrin missed a reverse sweep from the spinner and was trapped lbw.
Hoey got a top edge for four more balls before holing the next ball off Ngidi to deep midwicket.
Hume and Young then scored 52 runs to delay the inevitable, with Hume hitting two sixes and Young hitting three fours and sixes before Fortuyn rounded out South Africa’s victory.
Ryan Rickelton and Themba Bavuma add 68 runs for first wicket • Cricket Ireland
South Africa got off to a steady start after winning the toss, with Ryan Rickelton continuing from where he left off in the first ODI, and Bavuma looking sharp after getting out cheaply in that match.
Bavuma shuffled the crease in the fourth over and flicked Hume over midwicket for South Africa’s first boundary, and Rickelton flicked Adare over midwicket for two boundaries in the next over. .
Bavuma then slapped Craig Young before the point and lifted him at mid-off down the track towards Adair.
The duo cashed in in the final over of the powerplay, with Rickelton hitting Young at long-off for a six and then Bavuma flicking Young over midwicket for another.
Bavuma then sustained an injury while diving to complete a single in the 12th over. He received treatment for his left elbow and resumed playing at the non-striker’s end, but retired with an injury after two balls and finished the opening stand with a 68.
Rickelton hit Campher offside for another boundary and then provided Campher with a return catch to fall 10 points shy of his half-century streak.
Van der Dussen and Bereijn then found the boundary off Camphor and took over. Verrein saved 11 chances, Doheny was late to remove the bail and McBrin fired a shot to the leg side.
The two resumed their half-century before Hoey hit Van der Dussen with an inside edge to the leg stumps for his maiden ODI wicket.
Abhimanyu Bose is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
