Ireland were without experienced batsman Niall O'Brien, who slipped in his hotel bathroom on Sunday morning and suffered a head injury.
The South African team included three new caps. Test batsman Temba Bavuma was due to open the batting while all-rounders Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius were newcomers to international cricket.
Teams:
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (captain), Quinton de Kock (wkt), Temba Bavuma, JP Duminy, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Aaron Phangiso.
Ireland: William Porterfield (captain), Gary Wilson (wkt), Paul Stirling, John Anderson, Sean Terry, Kevin O'Brien, Stuart Poynter, Tim Murtagh, George Dockrell, Craig Young, Peter Chase.
Umpires: Shaun George (RSA), Joel Wilson (WIS)
TV umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)