Amla and du Plessis' epic flattens Ireland
03-Mar-2015
Ireland could have also had Hashim Amla on 10, but Ed Joyce dropped a simple catch at midwicket•Getty Images
Amla made the most of the reprieve and primed himself for a big score•ICC
He became the fastest player to make 20 ODI tons, scoring a personal-best 159•Getty Images
Faf du Plessis also blasted his first ODI hundred since September, adding 247 with Amla, South Africa's highest partnership for the second wicket•Associated Press
Du Plessis was finally bowled in the 39th over, but the stage was set for South Africa's big-hitters to launch a late surge•Associated Press
AB de Villiers unfurled some fancy strokes in his nine-ball 24•Getty Images
David Miller and Rilee Rossouw then took center stage. Miller started things off, smashing 46 off 23 balls•AFP
Rossouw too struck the ball hard and long, blazing a 30-ball 61. He and Miller put up 110 runs in 8.3 overs, as South Africa became the first team to rack up two 400-plus totals in successive games, finishing with 411 for 4•AFP
Ireland's chase was in disarray right from the start, with Dale Steyn and Kyle Abbot pinning them down to 48 for 5 inside 11 overs•Getty Images
Andy Balbirnie and Kevin O'Brien led a brief recovery, putting on 81 runs for the sixth wicket•AFP
Balbirnie went on to score his maiden fifty and the first by an Ireland batsman against South Africa•Associated Press
But Ireland were in trouble again, on 129 for 6, when he holed out to Rossouw at deep midwicket•Associated Press
Kevin O'Brien battled his way to 48 before mistiming his pull and becoming Abbott's fourth victim•Getty Images
South Africa, meanwhile, ensured there was no let up in intensity on the field, with their captain leading by example•Associated Press
With the game all but lost, Max Sorensen, along with George Dockrell, entertained the crowd with a few slogs•International Cricket Council
But it wasn't long before the formalities were done. Dockrell was the last man to be dismissed, bowled by Morne Morkel•Getty Images
Abbott finished with 8-0-21-4, as South Africa romped home by 201 runs•Getty Images