Hashim Amla shines as South Africa beat Ireland

Hashim Amla's 128-ball 159 -his highest ODI score - helped South Africa outclass Ireland by a massive 201-run margin in their World Cup 2015 Group B match played in Canberra on Tuesday.

South Africa's captain AB de Villiers won the toss and chose to bat first but his side stuttered at the start of their innings and they lost opener Quinton de Kock for one in the third over.

Ireland's bowlers looked to make the most of the early setback and tried to make more en roads, but their efforts were in vein, as Amla and Faf du Plesis refused to give in to the pressure.

The duo scored a run-a-ball 50 in the ninth over and then took their side to the 100-run mark in the 18th over.

Amla was the more aggressive of the two and reached his hundred, his 19th in ODI's, off exactly 100 balls. He had hit nine fours and two sixes at that stage. The duo remained unbeaten in the 33rd over, when South Africa reached the 200-run mark.

Du Plesis was the next to reach three figures and he did so, off just 103 balls. The 267-run stand was finally broken when de Plesis was dismissed for 109 in the 39th over.

Amla fell two-overs later for 159. He had hit 16 fours and four sixes in his innings, that set the platform for a late onslaught. AB de Villiers, David Miller and Rilee Rossouw ensured that South Africa finished with a flurry of boundaries and took their total to 411.

Ireland's batsmen needed to score at a rate of 8.30 from the start, in order to chase the daunting South African total, but they lost wickets regularly.

Andy Balbirnie and Kevin O'Brien were the only two Irish players to show signs of a fight with the bat. Balbirnie scored with 58, while O'Brien scored 48. Ireland managed just 210 in reply.

"Fortunately we got off to a good start," Amla, the Man of the Match, said. "Myself and Faf got going, and then I started to play some shots. We had wickets in hand so we could have a go. Thankfully it came off. It was a good wicket and fortunately we got some runs. Always good to post a win. Any hundred is a hundred. Glad to get some runs. Doesn't matter how long it takes. We bowled exceptionally well. Glad that edge stuck under the armpit."