TERRIFIC TEMBA
IN GOOD NICK: PROTEAS LAY DOWN MARKER IN BENONI
Bavuma and De Kock knock Irish out the park with record opening stand.
Temba Bavuma may have looked stricken with nerves in the first couple of overs of his ODI debut, but he settled to wonderful effect as his marvellous century led South Africa to a 206-run hammering of Ireland in their one-off match at Willowmoore Park in Benoni yesterday.
Opening for just the third time in his 70 List A games, Bavuma was dropped when had just one at second slip by Kevin O’Brien off Peter Chase in the second over of the day, but he soon settled as Quinton de Kock was quickly out of the blocks after South Africa had been sent in to bat.
De Kock blazed 82 off 66 balls as Ireland had to wait 24 overs for their first wicket, by which time the opening pair had added 159, a record for ODIs in Benoni.
Bavuma kept up with De Kock and completed his century off only 110 balls, becoming just the second South African to score a hundred on ODI debut, after Colin Ingram against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein in 2010.
Once Bavuma was dismissed for 113, unselfishly hitting out, South Africa’s innings went through a bit of a dead patch before Ireland’s bowlers were severely punished by Farhaan Behardien and JP Duminy at the death.
Behardien produced some spectacular strokeplay as he lashed 50 off 22 balls and Duminy accelerated to 52 not out off 43 deliveries, the pair piling on 87 off 43 balls to take South Africa to 354 for five.
Their total was always going to be safe, particularly after Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell both struck with the new ball. Dwaine Pretorius then chipped in with a wicket in his second over on debut as Ireland crashed to 41 for three.
Opener Paul Stirling (40 off 49) and the strongly-built O’Brien (41 off 36) were the only Ireland batsmen to build substantial innings, but spinners Aaron Phangiso (two for 33), who removed Stirling with his first ball, and Duminy, who took a career-best four for 16 in 4.5 overs, sent it all crashing down as the visitors were all out for just 148.