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Following on from their defeat to Afghanistan, Ireland will play their second game of the Desert T20 tomorrow against Namibia on Tuesday, with a quick turn around for their final fixture in Group A against the UAE.
Following on from their defeat to Afghanistan, Ireland will play their second game of the Desert T20 tomorrow against Namibia on Tuesday, with a quick turn around for their final fixture in Group A against the UAE. Namibia and the UAE played against each other in their debut fixture on Sunday, with the hosts winning it by 6 wickets off the final ball of the game with the UAE chasing down 153. Ireland last met the UAE in a tied T20 series in February 2016 whereas Ireland beat Namibia by 7 wickets when they last met, in a T20I in Stormont in July 2015.
Ireland

An opening partnership of 36 between Paul Stirling (25) and Stuart Poynter (18) gave Ireland a solid platform at the start of the Irish innings in the first game of the Desert T20 Challenge. Gary Wilson (23) was the other batsman to pass 20 against a disciplined Afghanistan attack. The batting lineup will try and build on these performances for the rest of the competition. It was the spin that proved to be the most effective for Ireland with Jacob Mulder (2-23), George Dockrell (1-19) and Andy McBrine (1-13) taking four out of the five wickets that fell in the Afghanistan innings. With the spin friendly conditions that are out in the UAE, they will look to continue their impressive start to their tournament against Namibia and the UAE.

Key Player – Jacob Mulder

Mulder was the pick of the bowlers in Saturday’s match in only his second T20I for Ireland, the first being the T20 against Hong Kong in Bready back in August. Taking two big scalps, namely Shahzad and Stanikzai in the Afghanistan game on Saturday, his deceptive leg spin will continue to provide Ireland with a wicket taking option for the rest of the tournament.

Namibia

Being the only side that is not ranked in T20I, Namibia would feel that they have a lot to build on after their first game in the competition, when they narrowly lost to the UAE. Wicketkeeper JP Koetze provided Namibia with their highest score in their innings. His 50 (42) got his team up to 152/7 from their 20 Overs. They had an up and down day in the field, where they created three run outs, but they also had dropped catches in the UAE game. It is a great opportunity for Ireland to get themselves into the Desert T20 with a win against them tomorrow, although Namibia will feel that they can put pressure onto the Irish batting lineup if their fielding improves.

Key Player – Gerhard Erasmus

A captain of the Namibia side at the U19 World Cup in 2014 in the UAE, the 21 year old has already played against Ireland in a drawn match in the Intercontinental Cup match in Bready back in 2011. Erasmus is a player growing in skill with every match making 192 for Namibia in the South African First Class competition in November, a career highest score so far. It will be hoped that, for his senior side, Erasmus will make some big runs against Ireland.

UAE

The hosts got their tournament off to the perfect start with the 6 wicket win against Namibia. Rohan Mustafa got the side off to a blistering start, making 56 (34) with a strike rate of 164.70, which just about got the UAE over the line. Mohammad Naveed also impressed for UAE, this time with the ball, where his 3-35 gave his side the chance to chase down the Namibian total. In a tight group, the game against Ireland could well be the decider as to who goes through to the semi-finals, so the hosts will be up for this match.

Key Player- Muhammmad Usman

The left-handed batsman Usman has started to provide UAE with stability in the middle order in all formats of the game, since making his international debut against The Netherlands in an Intercontinental Cup clash in Abu Dhabi in January 2016. With a career strike rate of 111.95 and a highest score of 49*, he could give the UAE side that much needed strength with the bat against Ireland on Wednesday.

Ireland Squad:

William Porterfield(c), Josh Little, George Dockrell, Jacob Mulder, Andy McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, Barry McCarthy, Stuart Poynter, Boyd Rankin, , Paul Stirling, Greg Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.

UAE Squad

Amjad Javed(c), Adnan Mufti, Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Mohammad Naveed, Mohammad Shahzad, Muhammad Usman, Mohammed Qasim, Muhammed Shanil, Rameez Shahzad, Rohan Mustafa, Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Farooqi.

Namibia Squad

Sarel Burger(c), Christopher Coombe, Stephan Baard, Gerhard Erasmus, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green, JP Kotze, Mika Mutumbe, Colin Peake, Bernard Scholtz, JJ Smit, Gerrie Snyman, Craig George Williams, Louis van der Westhuizen.

17th Jan – Ireland v Namibia

Time: 10am.
Venue: Abu Dhabi Cricket Club’s Zayed Cricket Stadium

18th Jan – UAE v Ireland

Time: 10am.
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City

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