CRICKET TWENTY20:AN OUTSTANDING display of fielding proved the catalyst as Ireland beat the UAE by 22 runs in their opening Super Four clash yesterday to set up a winner-takes-all battle with The Netherlands at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium this afternoon.
Ireland now top the Super Four table on run rate, but that makes no difference as both of today’s games are effectively semi-final clashes, with the winners taking the two spots at the World Twenty20 in the West Indies.
Ireland made an above-par total of 152 for seven after skipper William Porterfield won his fourth straight toss of the tournament.
Niall O’Brien continued his fine form as he top-scored with 46 to bring him top of the run-scoring charts with 149 in four innings.
Porterfield added a valuable 22 at the top of the order, while there were useful contributions from Trent Johnston and Gary Wilson, who both made 19.
The UAE had chased down 164 against The Netherlands on Wednesday, so Ireland knew they had to get among their big-hitters at the top of the order.
Porterfield set the standard in the first over when he swooped from point to run out the dangerous Arfan Haider before he had faced a ball.
Peter Connell followed up with the scalp of Mohammad Iqbal as two wickets fell in his first over for the third straight match.
Connell also accounted for Fayyaz Ahmed in his next over to reduce the UAE to 17 for three.
But Saqib Ali and skipper Khurram Khan went on the offensive to keep up with the run rate, until Alex Cusack changed the course of the game when he stuck out his hand and held a bullet drive from Khan.
Ali was now the one player who could deny Ireland, but Cusack bowled him for 63 in the 17th over.
Three balls later he held on to a caught-and-bowled off Qadar Nawaz to reduce the UAE on 118 for eight, and they were eventually bowled out for 130 when Andre Botha claimed his second wicket with the first ball of the final over.
“Twenty20 is all about momentum and we have that momentum now, but it’s important we don’t get complacent,” Porterfield said afterwards.
Scoreboard
ICC WORLD TWENTY20 QUALIFIER
Super Four
Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Ireland won the toss and batted.
IRELAND
W Porterfield cb S Ali 22
N O’Brien c Silva b Nawaz 46
A Botha b Ali 3
A Cusack c Iqbal b Khan 10
T Johnston c Ali b Nawaz 19
K O’Brien c Haider b Nawaz 13
J Mooney not out 12
G Wilson run out 19
A White not out 4
Extras (b1, lb2, w1) 4
Total (for 7 wkts, 20 ovs) 152
Did not bat: P Connell, G Dockrell.
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-35, 3-59, 4-103, 5-103, 6-117, 7-143.
Bowling: Zubair 4-0-41-0; Nawaz 4-0-23-3; Ali 4-0-27-2; Silva 3-0-27-0; Raza 3-0-16-0; Khan 2-0-15-1.
UAE
M Iqbal c Wilson b Connell 8
A Haider run out 0
F Ahmed c Wilson b Connell 3
S Ali b Cusack 63
K Khan cb Cusack 10
N Aslam c Porterfield b K O’Brien 6
A Rehman lbw b Dockrell 20
S Silva c Porterfield b Botha 12
Q Nawaz cb Cusack 1
A Raza b Botha 0
Q Zubair not out 1
Extras (b1, w5) 6
Total (all out, 19.1 ovs) 130
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-9, 3-17, 4-54, 5-70, 6-116, 7-116, 8-118, 9-130.
Bowling: Connell 3-0-30-2; Johnston 4-0-24-0; Cusack 4-0-19-3; Botha 3.1-0-21-2; K O’Brien 3-0-23-1; Dockrell 2-0-12-1.
Ireland won by 22 runs.
