Ireland found out how costly it can be to drop Hashim Amla, giving him a life on 10 and watching him rack up a career-best 159 in Canberra. He was part of a 247-run stand for the second wicket with Faf du Plessis, who made 109, as South Africa crossed 400 for the second match running. And it did not even require much of an innings from AB de Villiers.
There was inevitability to South Africa's mammoth total once Amla and du Plessis had settled themselves inside the opening Powerplay. The ten-over splits highlighted the team's seamless progress: 57, 58, 66, 99 and 131 - the last block dominated by Rilee Rossouw and David Miller in a stand of 110 off 8.3 overs.
Amla's hundred, his 20th in his 108th innings, which made him comfortably the fastest to that landmark, came at a calculated run-a-ball and as he skipped past his previous best of 153 with nine overs remaining, the second double-hundred of the tournament was there for the taking before he picked out long-off. Du Plessis' century, brought up from 103 deliveries, was his first since last September against Zimbabwe and followed half-centuries against India and West Indies.
The finishing touches were put to the innings by Rossouw's 27-ball fifty and Miller's equally punchy 46 off 23 balls. Miller was given lbw on 21 but it had taken a bottom edge and the decision was overturned. Rossouw brought up the 400 with his third six, clubbed over deep midwicket in the final over which cost 24, to carry South Africa beyond 400 for the third time this year.
Amla's reprieve marked the end of a brief period at the start of the match where Ireland made life tricky. John Mooney, who began with consecutive maidens, continued Quinton de Kock's difficult start to the tournament when the opener edged a delivery slanted across him although Ireland needed to use the DRS.
However, even in the early overs when Mooney hit a testing line and length there was no support from the other end as Max Sorensen's first two overs cost a contrasting 21, including five wides. Kevin O'Brien's first two overs, following the pain of seeing Amla missed, also went for 21 and William Porterfield turned to George Dockrell in the tenth over.
Ireland had put faith in their spin attack by recalling Andy McBrine who had bowled ten overs for 26 against West Indies. Fellow offspinner Paul Stirling found an edge in his first over, when du Plessis was on 19, but it flashed between keeper and Kevin O'Brien at slip.
Early on, Dockrell gave too much to cut or pull but he had very respectable figures before suffering against de Villiers and Amla in his final over - an unenviable task while the Powerplay was still in operation.
Briefly Amla and du Plessis had consolidated, but the scoreboard rarely stood still. Their respective fifties came from 52 and 57 deliveries without them barely breaking sweat. The 24th over, the second of Sorensen's second spell, provided a kick to the innings as it was dispatched for 24; Amla effortlessly took sixes over long-on and cover while du Plessis picked up one for himself.
Du Plessis could have been run out on 96 after a mix-up with Amla but the throw went to the keeper rather than the bowler which allowed him to scramble back.
The second over of the second Powerplay, bowled by O'Brien, cost 13 and the next from Mooney was flayed for 27 as his figures took a battering. Amla continued to lead the sixes count, including a wonderful inside-out drive over cover. O'Brien, though, held his nerve and produced a well-disguised slower-ball yorker to defeat du Plessis, although Ireland's fellow bowlers may have wondered if that was a smart move when de Villiers strode to the middle.
This time, though, the fireworks were brief. There was not a dot ball in sight as he skipped to 24 off eight but then got too far under a reverse sweep against McBrine. It meant a memorable double for the offspinner who, two balls earlier, had ended Amla's stay. McBrine ended with figures he could be proud of, but any hopes Ireland may have had of a quieter end to the innings were emphatically dashed.
Andrew McGlashan is a senior assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
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