Ireland vs. United Arab Emirates, World T20: Video Highlights, Scorecard, Report
Ireland moved closer to the Super 10 phase of the World Twenty20 tournament with a 21-run victory over the United Arab Emirates in Sylhet.
Ireland, who won the toss and elected to field, restricted their opponents to just 123-6 in their 20 overs.
The Emerald Isle had made 103-3 in 14.2 overs when a floodlight failure halted play. Rain followed and they were declared winners via the Duckworth-Lewis method.
UAE put on 35 for the opening wicket but stuttered thereafter with Paul Stirling taking two wickets in the seventh over to leave them on 46-3.
Shaiman Anwar top scored with 30, but Kevin O’Brien took two wickets to stem the run rate.
| Runs | Minutes | Balls | |||
| Ali | c Dockrell | b Stirling | 20 | 26 | 19 |
| Asif | run out (Murtagh) | 11 | 19 | 15 | |
| Khurram Khan | c Joyce | b Murtagh | 16 | 40 | 21 |
| Patil | c Porterfield | b Stirling | 0 | 3 | |
| Anwar | c and b K O'Brien | 30 | 29 | 28 | |
| Amjad Javed | c Joyce | b K O'Brien | 19 | 22 | 21 |
| Mustafa | not out | 13 | 23 | 13 | |
| Shetty | not out | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Extras | 1nb 7w 2b 3lb | 13 | |||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | |
| Stirling | 3 | 1 | 12 | 2 | |
| Sorensen | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| Murtagh | 4 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| Cusack | 4 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| Dockrell | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| K O'Brien | 4 | 0 | 17 | 2 | |
| Thompson | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Ireland suffered a blow in their reply when Stirling was forced to retire hurt in the second over after a nasty bang on the elbow.
The 23-year-old went off for an X-ray, but Ed Joyce picked up the mantle and took the score to 74 without loss at the halfway stage alongside captain William Porterfield.
Joyce made 43 in his 38-ball innings, including four boundaries and a six, before falling in the 13th over. O’Brien (0) and Andrew Poynter (four) swiftly followed.
Two floodlight failures in the space of 13 minutes prevented them from completing the task. However, with just 21 runs needed off 34 balls, they claimed the two points.
| Runs | Minutes | Balls | 6s | |||
| Porterfield | not out | 33 | 62 | 35 | 2 | |
| Stirling | retd hurt | 8 | 21 | 5 | 2 | |
| Joyce | c Khurram Khan | b Sharif Asadullah | 43 | 41 | 38 | 4 |
| K O'Brien | c Shetty | b Sharif Asadullah | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Poynter | b Amjad Javed | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | |
| Wilson | not out | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| Extras | 0nb 7w 0b 2lb 5pen | 14 | 14 | Extras | ||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | ||
| Sharif Asadullah | 3 | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| Kamran Shazad | 3 | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Amjad Javed | 3 | 0 | 18 | 1 | ||
| Mustafa | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Raza | 1.2 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
If Porterfield's side can beat the Netherlands on Friday, they will join South Africa, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand in Group 1.
Despite only being an Associate Nation, Ireland reached the Super Eight in 2009.