In a favourable start to their T20 World Cup qualifications in September, Ireland triumphed over the UAE, in a straightforward victory in Abu Dhabi. After securing the toss and deciding to field first, Ireland’s Eimear Richardson and Cara Murray, the spin bowling pair, took three crucial wickets in quick succession, negating UAE’s strong early run. The superior fielding from Ireland combined with the questionable decision-making by the UAE during their runs resulted in two runouts, whilst Arlene Kelly with a score of 2-12 played her usual role of effectively limiting the opposition’s score.
Although the target of 106 seemed modest, Gaby Lewis and Amy Hunter, the Irish opening batsmen, initially threatened to undermine the UAE with a flurry of boundaries during the powerplay. However, the encounter took a minor twist when both openers were caught out and Laura Delany and Rebecca Stokell were subsequently eliminated by off-spinner Esha Oza.
Nonetheless, given the low target, consolidation by Orla Prendergast and Richardson saw Ireland through, with Richardson’s final boundaries securing the win with just less than four overs remaining in the match.