Ireland may have lost by 42 runs to South Africa but Alex Cusack's performance did something to lift the post World Cup blues that have engulfed their game.
BELFAST: Ireland may have suffered their second convincing defeat in as many days after losing by 42 runs to South Africa but debutant Alex Cusack's performance did something to lift the post World Cup blues that have engulfed their game.
The 26-year-old all-rounder took three for 15 in four overs as South Africa were held to 173 for four in an innings reduced by rain to 31 overs.
He then made 36 not out as the batting collapsed around him to win the man-of-the-match award here at Stormont.
It capped a remarkable rise to international level for the Brisbane-born player, who didn't have a club when he first came to Ireland in 2003 before joining Dublin-based Clontarf.
Earlier this season, the 26-year-old seamer, whose father holds an Irish passport, saw his first two overs as an Ireland player, against English county Middlesex, cost 29 runs. But there were few signs of nerves on Sunday.
"It was great fun," said Cusack, who only settled permanently in Ireland two years ago. "I was probably a bit more relaxed. You've just got to get it in your mind that it's just another game."
Cusack, a carpenter by trade, was Ireland's one change from Saturday's nine-wicket defeat against India. He was the seventh bowler used but did enough to suggest he won't have to wait so long for his turn again with his 'death' bowling particularly notable.
"I do it a lot for my club. I'm used to it. I like it, sometimes you go for runs, sometimes you get a few wickets. That's the way it goes."
Ireland captain Trent Johnston, himself Australian-born, said Cusack's performance hadn't come as a surprise.
"We knew he could make the step up. He may have been a bit nervous with the ball against Middlesex but he came out here in tough conditions, against quality batsmen with short boundaries, and he hit the top of off-stump.
"That's all I want. He got the rewards with three wickets and then went out and showed us how well he could bat. He's going to be in these Irish colours for a long time and he deserves that."
But otherwise Johnston was left lamenting some familiar failings from his amateur side, unable to bat and bowl well at the weekend.
"It was back to the good old days of where we performed well in one discipline and let ourselves down in the other. I don't know when we are going to put a good game together. It's been some time now since we've done that.
"But we've got a quadrangular series next month and hopefully we can perform better in that than we have done over the last couple of days."
Ireland produced the shock of the World Cup in beating Pakistan and qualifying for the Super Eights, where they thrashed Bangladesh.
However, the benefits of their four months of extensive preparation for that tournament and the subsequent boost of a sustained spell of top-class cricket appeared to be on the wane at the weekend.
"It is very difficult to put a complete game together when you are together for two or three hours a week," said Johnston. "If we were together like we were in the West Indies, we would have been competitive in those two games over the weekend. That's the way it goes and we are just going to have to train harder."
Meanwhile South Africa captain Jacques Kallis said Ireland had given his side a "good run".
He added: "I know they had a few injuries and were missing a few guys but they are competing at international level and are no walk-overs."
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