Ireland’s T20 World Cup qualifying journey got off to a promising start, as they convincingly defeated the UAE in Abu Dhabi. Winning the toss and selecting to bowl, the Irish team saw Richardson and Murray, the spinners, notably take three wickets in the middle overs, disrupting the UAE’s early momentum.
This, coupled with praiseworthy fielding and two UAE run-outs, contributed to Ireland’s strong position, with Kelly delivering her customary standout performance in minimising runs (2-12). The UAE set a target of 106, promptling Irish openers Lewis and Hunter to swiftly chase it down, hitting eight boundaries within the initial power play.
However, the UAE managed to regain some grounding with a slight scare when both openers got caught out. It got tense as off-spinner Esha Oza dismissed Ireland’s captain, Laura Delany, and Rebecca Stokell one after the other.
Thanks to the relatively low set total, Ireland were able to recover with the help of Orla Prendergast and Richardson. Richardson ultimately dominated the field with several boundaries, winning the match with nearly four overs to spare. The final scores saw Ireland on top with 106-4 in 16.1 overs (notably with Lewis scoring 27, and Hunter 25), defeating the UAE with 105-9 over 20 overs.