IRE vs SA 2nd T20I Commentary - Stormont (22 July 2021)

Back of a length ball on middle, hit down to long on for a single by Little.

Slower length ball around off, punched towards deep cover for one.

OUT! TIMBER! That's the match and the series in the bag for South Africa! Ngidi bowls a really nice slower yorker on off stump, completely beats Little who is through his attempted slog sweep very early. The bails are off and de Kock is relieved that they have managed to pick the final wicket in this match. SOUTH AFRICA WIN BY 42 RUNS!

Length ball on top of off, swing and a miss from Little.

FOUR! CLEVER! Short ball on middle, angling across, Little just waits for it and opens the face of his bat to ramp it wide of short third man. A boundary for Ireland.

Pitched up on middle and hit down to long on for a single.

Shortish ball on off, Adair pulls it down the ground towards long on for one.

Short ball on middle, Little tries to play the cut but misses.

Pitched up in the slot and Little swings it away on the leg side from the inside half of his bat, just short of wide long on, for a single.

Slower, short ball outside off, guided nicely to deep point for one.

Back of a length on middle, angling in, Little looks to heave it on the leg side but misses and is hit on the thigh pad.

Good bouncer, just outside off. Little looks to upper cut this one but it's too quick and he misses.

Length ball on middle and leg, hit down to long on for a single.

Shorter one outside off, Adair tries to fetch it from there and whack it across but misses the ball.

Back of a length outside off, just pops up off the surface a bit, Adair is through his slog sweep early and misses again.

Length ball on off, Adair makes room and lofts it high and over mid off. The ball lands safe and the batsmen take three runs, excellent running.

OUT! CAUGHT! Short in length and around off, angling away, Young tries to fetch it from there and pull it over mid-wicket but it takes the top edge and flies behind square leg. Mulder circles underneath it and reverse cups the catch. The end is nigh for Ireland.

Fuller ball on middle, driven down to long on for one.

Length ball, tucked away onto the leg side for a single.

FOUR! CHEEKY! Very full outside off, Adair opens the face of the bat and squeezes this one behind point and into the boundary.

Short ball around off, Adair gets on top of it and pulls it in front of square on the leg side for a single.

Dragged down on middle, pulled to deep mid-wicket for one.

Tossed up around off, Young looks to sweep but misses.

Leg Bye! Flighted around off, Young looks to sweep again but gets it onto the pads. The ball deflects towards point for a leg bye.

Tossed up again on middle this time, Adair looks to sweep this time but gets hit on his thigh pad.

Flighted outside off, Adair does get the connect on the sweep shot but straight to mid-wicket.

Straying down leg and Adair flicks it towards backward square leg for on. Shamsi has bowled out, 4-0-14-3 are his amazing figures.

OUT! TIMBER! Fortuin darts this one in the line of the stumps but it's not that quick. Tucker looks to move across and cut but misses the ball completely. It leads to his dismissal as he loses his stumps.

Shorter ball on off, tapped back to the bowler.

Slightly flighted on off, Adair watchfully keeps it out.

Short ball on middle, Adair pulls it to deep mid-wicket for one.

OUT! Simi Singh departs! Tossed up ball landing full around middle and leg, Simi shimmies down the track for a big shot but gets an inside edge onto the pads as the ball rolls behind. De Kock is quick to react and picks up the ball to break the stumps. They appeal, it's referred upstairs and after watching a few replays, the third umpire sbows the red signal.

Quicker full ball on off, Young tries to defend but it takes the inner half and rolls to square leg.

Tossed up on off, pushed to mid off for a single.

OUT! CAUGHT! Shane Getkate's cameo has ended. Shamsi pushes this one full outside off and Getkate looks to slog it on one knee over mid-wicket but doesn't get the elevation. He hits it straight towards Temba Bavuma who jumps to take a sharp catch.

WIDE! Straying down leg and Singh misses the flick. Wided.

Leg Bye! Tossed up delivery on off, Singh looks to push it down to mid-wicket but gets it onto his pads to point for a leg bye.

A bit shorter on middle and leg, turned away to deep square leg for one.

Shortish again, Singh tucks it to deep mid-wicket off the back foot for a single.

Tossed up on off, Tucker leans forward and pushes it to long off for one.

Darted in on off stump, Getkate moves away a bit to keep that one out on the off side.

A touch fuller on off, driven through covers for a single.

Flatter around off, Tucker hits it towards the covers.

A bit slower through the air, tossed up on middle and pushed down to mid on for one.

SIX! HUGE HIT! Getkate dances down the track and gets to the pitch of the ball on off and smashes it over the long off fence for a maximum.

Good come back by Fortuin. Pushes this one around off, the ball turns just a bit and beats the outside edge of Getkate's blade.

Back of a length on middle, coming back in, Getkate dabs it down on the on side.

Back of a length around off and the ball pops up off the surface, Getkate does well to fend it away.

A touch fuller and Getkate goes inside-out over covers into the deep for a couple of runs.

FOUR! THUMPED! Very full and in the slot, Getkate opens his arms and whacks it over mid off and into the boundary.

Length ball around middle, pushed down to long on for a single.

FOUR! Length ball again outside off, Tucker slices it over point and finds the fence. Mulder continues to be expensive, 11 from this over too.

Pushed flatter on off, Getkate looks to cut but inside edges it onto his pads.

SIX! Tossed up very full on middle, Getkate stays put and just whacks it over Markram's head for a biggie.

Flighted on off, pushed gently towards covers and a single is stolen.

Flighted delivery on middle, Tucker blocks it out.

FOUR! CHEEKY! Very full ball around off, Tucker reverse sweeps it wide of backward point and into the fence.

Shorter this time, Tucker goes back in his crease to push it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.

Tossed up ball on middle, Shane flicks it with the spin to mid-wicket.

Two dots. Flatter delivery, around off, Shane Getkate punches it to the off side and Shamsi quickly gets to the ball.

Flighted and on off, Getkate eases it to the right of point for a run.

Wide! Turning down the leg side, Dockrell tries to pull but misses.

A mishit but safe! Full and around middle, spinning away, Dockrell gets down the track for a big shot but slices it towards wide mid off. A single.

Floated ball on middle, spinning in, Getkate gets back and turns it past mid-wicket for one.

OUT! Aiden Markam takes a superb catch! Two catches were put down earlier, one by Fortuin and another by Markram and both the fielders have redeemed themselves now. Very poor shot selection from George Dockrell. There was no need to attack Shamsi with 4 wickets already down. But Dockrell wants to dominate him and for that he takes a big stride towards forward. Makes a decent connection but it's not decent enough to beat the jumping effort of Markram near the long on fence. Ireland have lost half their side and this chase is also going the same way, like the first T20I.

Flatter ball on middle, GD works it to mid-wicket and crosses.

Quicker and around middle, a slider, Tector moves back and tucks it to mid-wicket for a couple. Great running!

A flatter delivery, around middle and leg, it's eased wide of short fine leg where Shamsi makes a diving stop. A single taken.

Walks down the track and whips a full ball to deep mid-wicket for a single. Good intensity shown by these two.

OUT! Tector is caught brilliantly! Aiden Markram continues to push it quicker through the air and delivers yet another one flat and full on middle, it's skidding away after landing and Harry Tector tries to flick by getting forward. He closes the face of his bat early and that generates a leading edge. It loops in the air and Bjorn Fortuin runs in from extra cover to complete the catch with a dive. He dropped a sitter earlier and this one will make him feel a lot better.

Quicker one, on the pads, Shane forces it off his back foot to wide mid on and opens his account.

Starts with a long hop on middle, Dockrell pulls but finds the short fine leg fielder.

Uppish but safe! Tossed up ball around off, some extra bounce, Dockrell gets down the track for a big shot but it takes the outer half and goes towards mid off. A single taken.

Flighted full ball on off, Paul sweeps it firmly to deep square leg for a single.

Missed the leg pole by a whisker. Flatter and shorter, around leg, Dockrell gets back to pull but misses.

Superb stop! Too full and on middle, Dockrell advances down the track and drills it down the ground. The long off fielder dives across to his right to save three runs.

OUT! Stirling holes out! This is what you expect from Tabraiz Shamsi, the number one T20I bowler. Tossed up ball landing full around off, Stirling fails to resist the temptation of playing a slog sweep. He, however, is a bit early into the execution of his shot and it flies off the top edge of his blade. David Miller at deep mid-wicket takes it safely. 114 needed off 72 balls.

PUT DOWN AGAIN! South Africa continue to be substandard on the field. A fuller length ball on middle, Dockrell forces it uppishly and down the ground towards mid on where Aiden Markram moves across to his left but puts down a dolly. A single taken.

Angling away from the batsman, short in length, Paul steers it wide of point for a run.

Shortish delivery, outside off, Dockrell pushes inside the line and edges it down to third man for a run.

Big swing and a miss! Hendricks bowls it slow and short outside off, Stirling winds up for a big heave over the leg side but misses.

Aerial but safe! Beuran Hendricks bowls a cutter, short and around off, Stirling lofts it over cover-point for one.

Back of a length ball on middle, George taps it down to the left of backward point for a single.

Good length ball on off, Dockrell defends it back from the crease.

FOUR! Fine shot! Full in length and angling down the leg side, George takes it up off his pads and whips it behind square leg for a boundary.

SIX! That's an unbelievable shot from George Dockrell. Mulder delivers it short and wide outside off, Dockrell reaches out for it with a lovely extension of his arms and whacks it all the way over point. Pressure on Wiaan.

Angling into the batsman, on middle and leg, GD keeps it out to mid-wicket.

Wide! Mulder tries to follow the batsman down the leg side but ends up spraying it way wide. A good take by de Kock.

Short and close to off, it's punched from the back foot to covers.

Wide! Mulder bowls this one way wide outside off, Dockrell flashes and misses.

Too full in length and around leg, Dockrell digs it out to mid-wicket for a run. Ireland are 38/2 after the Powerplay, South Africa were 38/3 at this stage.

FOUR! Back of a length around off, Balbirne just hangs back and lofts the ball over covers and the ball races into the boundary.

OUT! CAUGHT! Hendricks hits the deck hard and Balbirne just looks to smoke the ball across to the mid-wicket fence but gets a really big top edge behind the stumps. The ball stayed up for a long time and Quinton de Kock takes a really well-judged catch, calling it early.

Back of a length, Stirling pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.

A bit fuller on the stumps, Dockrell blocks it off.

 Back of a length again on off, angling across Dockrell who does really well to tap it onto the ground towards short third man.

Length ball around off, Dockrell drives it on the up towards deep point for a single.

A length ball on off, Stirling shuffles across the stumps and works it off the inner half to fine leg for one.

Outside off, Balbirnie tries to flick by walking across but misses. It hits him on the pads and they take a leg bye.

Tucks a length ball behind square leg for a run. The second run is also on by Paul slips.

Short and around off, Andy goes back and lifts it over point for one.

Edged but safe! Slower one, on a length and outside off, Paul pushes inside the line and edges it in front of the slip fielder. 

Shortish and outside off, Paul tries to play the scoop but misses and is hit on the body.

Full around off, Stirling hits it towards covers.

Fuller ball on middle drifting in, Stirling pushes it towards covers again.

SIX! Tossed up on middle, in the slot and slogged powerfully over the deep square leg fence by Stirling for a biggie.

Flatter delivery on leg, Stirling tries to flick it off the back foot towards fine leg but cannot find the gap.

Tossed up on off, played towards mid-wicket for a single.

Full delivery on off, Balbirne looks to hit it over covers but doesn't get the elevation.

Play and a miss! Short in length and outside off, Paul Stirling tries to slap it through the line but misses.

FOUR! Calmly done! Short in length and around off, this time Stirling waits on the back foot and at the last moment, he just guides it over short third man. A boundary results and Paul is off the mark.

Turns a length ball in the gap at square leg and rotates the strike.

Shortish and outside off, Andy Balbirnie punches it through point for a single.

Taps it down to point and picks up a run.

DROPPED! Short in length and outside off, Balbirnie opens the face of the bat and guides it straight to short third man where Bjorn Fortuin puts down a sitter.

Tossed up on off, pushed back to the bowler.

CLOSE! Stirling gives himself room and Bjorn Fortuin darts one in at the legs, Stirling misses his shot and the ball was a whisker away from the leg stump.

Darted in, again and again, Stirling looks to give himself room but the ball hits his pads.

Leg Bye. Ireland are off and running, slightly full on leg stump, Stirling flicks it off his pads to short fine leg for a leg bye.

Tossed up on off, Kevin comes down the track and pushes the ball towards covers.

OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Soft dismissal really. The ball is tossed up around middle and leg and Kevin O'Brien just moves aside looking to push it on the off side but instead lofts it back to the bowler without any force. Bjorn Fortuin takes a simple catch and gives South Africa the start they were looking for.