Proteas notch up 42-run victory as Ireland lose twice in two days

Belfast, June 25 (UNI) Ireland slumped to their second successive defeat in two days as a rusty South African team notched up a 42-run victory in a rain-reduced match at the Civil Service Club in Stormont here.

After a delay of close to five hours, owing to heavy rain yesterday, the Proteas got off to a racy start after being put into bat, with openers AB de Villiers and Morne van Wyk clocking a 75-run opening stand in 12.3 overs.

One-match old van Wyk brought up his maiden half-century on his comeback after four years here but the energetic Villiers stole the show with a cameo knock of 40 off 35 balls.

However, the World Cup semi-finalists failed to make the most against a depleted and inexperienced bowling attack, managing 173 or four in the rain-reduced 31 overs.

At one stage South Africa looked on course for 200, but slow batting from van Wyk and captain Jacques Kallis, on a sluggish pitch, kept Ireland in the game.

Although Van Wyk's 52 proved the highest score for his side, it took 84 deliveries to accumalate them.

For the hosts, Australia-born Alex Cusack, enjoyed a dream debut, ending up with the best bowling effort of 3 for 15 and notching up the highest score of 36 runs for his side.

He not only took a fantastic catch on the boundary to cut de Villiers short, but removed van Wyk, Herschelle Gibbs and Kallis in succession.

With Irish skipper Trent Johnston keeping van Wyk quiet, Kallis withdrew into a shell during the middle overs apart from one huge six over long-on during his 47-ball 46.

In reply, the minnows started on a positive note, with William Porterfield and Kenny Carroll posting a healthy opening stand of 45 in 9.1 overs as the South African new-ball bowlers struggled to get early breakthroughs.

However, just after they lost the first wicket, their inexperience clearly shone bright with two more Ireland batsman departing after adding just two more runs to the scoreboard.

Vernon Philander, on ODI debut, gave himself a perfect 22nd-birthday gift, snapping up four wickets for 12 runs to end up the most successful bowler for his team.

He forced Porterfield to edge to a leaping Mark Boucher behind the stumps and then got wicketkeeper-batsman Niall O'Brien to play all over a nasty inswinger for his second wicket.

Dominick Joyce played a few pleasing drives before edging Kallis and barring Cusack (36 not-out) the rest of the order didn't put up much of a fight as Philander finished with 4 for 12.

Makhaya Ntini, in need of match practice, was a shadow of his former self, being generous with the extras and owed his solitary wicket in his second spell to JP Duminy's brilliance sliding down at long-on. South Africa's sole spinner Thandi Tshabalala, looked pedestrian on ODI debut, serving up one too many full tosses.

At the end, sans the likes of Andre Nel, Andrew Hall or Charl Langeveldt, South Africa were not pushed at all and managed to bowl Ireland for 131 with one ball to spare.

However, in the absence of regular captain Graeme Smith, Kallis will have to marshall his resources well to put up a much improved show in the three-match ODI series against the Indian team starting tomorrow.

UNI