Rookie Irish off-spinner Andy McBrine bowled what is likely to remain the over of a lifetime against South Africa at Manuka Oval on Tuesday, dismissing Hashim Amla and A.B. de Villiers three balls apart. To tell from his celebrations, it was as if a leprechaun had granted at least two of his three wishes.
What he will fudge when telling his grandchildren is that Amla was 159, and was caught at long-off, and de Villiers had made 24 from nine balls and oblivious to any notion of defence, and Faf du Plessis already had made a century, and South Africa was well on their way to 4/411 — their second 400-plus score in a row — and would win this match by 201 runs.
What McBrine also will gloss over is that de Villiers got out not trying to answer the polite question the bowler was putting to him, but the rhetorical question everyone else now asks about him: is there anything this man can't do? Well, yes: the reverse cow corner for six, as it happens. Not every day. It looped up to cover point/midwicket and was caught.
But we won't let on to McBrine's descendants, either, because the Irish again have added a distinct dimension to this World Cup, and what happened to them on this Canberra flatbed was only to be expected at some stage, and it would be a crying shame for world cricket if a streamlined format was to keep them out of the next World Cup. Never forget that Sri Lanka won four games in total in their first four World Cups. In their fifth, they won the trophy.
A slight irony pertained to Ireland's performance this day. Conscious of their trundling attack, they came to this tournament resolved to out-field everyone else. This day, literally, they threw themselves at everything. But a crucial chance went begging when Amla was dropped by veteran Ed Joyce at mid-wicket at 10. Du Plessis might have been taken at slip soon afterwards, but wasn't. After smoothing out these ruffles, they put on 247 for the second wicket and there was not a damned thing the Irish could do about it.
Amla is always serene, and this day was positively meditative, as if conscious of not flaunting South Africa's superiority. He and du Plessis churned out runs as if they were widgets, in a continuous but mostly unspectacular stream. Amla did not so much rejoice at 100 as mark it off, and the round of applause was at the sort of pitch that usually greets a maiden over. When du Plessis joined him on 100, the ovation was more at the level of a diving save on the boundary. But du Plessis does not get to a hundred as often as Amla.
Ireland went with three finger spinners, figuring that if they could not put any pace on the ball on this sonorous pitch, they would take it off. Sadly for them, all that happened was that it sat up for the South Africans as if on a tee. At length, Amla was caught by a spectator — and at further length by a fielder. Indeed, spectators took as many catches as fieldsman this day – but they did have more chances.
Three wickets in three overs (for 42 runs) amounted to a flurry for the Irish, but acted only to clear the decks for the now traditional finishing onslaught, this time from David Miller and Rilee Rossouw. With feint, flourish, flog and flay, they sped South Africa to 131 from the last 10 overs, a little more than par in this tournament. The standards, aesthetics and appreciations of one-day cricket have been changed out of all recognition, and perhaps forever.
In the circumstances, Ireland can be said to have restricted South Africa to 411. What followed was as inevitable as floodlight following day. Viscerally, it was unfair for South Africa to have three 140kmh-plus bowlers to lead the defence of 411, and when Ireland was 5/48, so it looked. "We wouldn't mind a couple as well, if we can produce them," said Irish captain will Porterfield, wistfully.
Suddenly, the pitch was a owlish monster, waking up at sunset. In the absence of a mercy rule, South Africa humanely rotated eight bowlers, including de Villiers, who took a wicket anyway, because he can. The last 35 overs of the match were for window dressing, but de Villiers was careful not to patronise the Irish. "We paid them all the respect they deserve," he said, "and it probably helped us play a bit better today." Knowing this, the Irish might decide to go back to lulling.
South Africa's confidence is restored; making 400 runs at a time will do that, whoever the opposition. "You can never be exceptionally happy with your performance," said de Villiers. "I'm just very happy." With McBrine, that made two.
