Ireland will take on United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the 16th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at The Gabba, Brisbane, on Wednesday. Ireland were off to a wonderful start, beating West Indies comfortably in their opening game. On the other hand, UAE managed to give a good account of themselves against Zimbabwe in their first match as well. SCORECARD: Ireland vs United Arab Emirates (UAE) in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
It would be unfair to Ireland to call this game a clash of minnows; they have consistently punched above their weight since their World Cup debut in 2007. By beating the West Indies in their first game, they have made a quarter-final qualification a very real possibility, more so after Pakistan’s shoddy displays so far. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
The match will be held at one of the fastest tracks in Australia, The Gabba. Given UAE’s inexperience, there is a serious chance the likes of John Mooney, Craig Young, Max Sorensen, and rookie pacer Peter Chase could all play together and combine to skittle out UAE for a small score. Given the conditions, the onus will be on the experienced Irish top and middle order to get them to a big score. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
To their credit though, UAE had a good outing against Zimbabwe, with the entire middle order contributing to the final total of 285 for seven. They would want someone to go on and get a big score and anchor the innings. If someone like Khurram Khan can weather the storm and keep the Irish pacers at bay, a more even contest could be on the cards. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
Ireland did well to beat West Indies in the first match, and would believe they have a chance to go through to the quarter-finals. They would look to take one match at a time, and focus first on beating UAE. The match is theirs to lose, given their own superiority and UAE’s inexperience, but Ireland would know better than most the dangers of complacency and under-estimating the opposition. Ireland hold all the cards, and if they play to their potential, should walk away with their second victory.
Squads:
Ireland: William Porterfield (c), Niall O’Brien(wk), Kevin O’Brien, Andy Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Ed Joyce, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Craig Young, Andy McBrine, John Mooney, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson.
UAE: Mohammad Tauqir (c), Swapnil Patil (wk), Khurram Khan, Amjad Ali, Amjad Javed, Andri Berenger, Fahad Alhashmi, Saqlain Haider, Shaiman Anwar, Manjula Guruge, Kamran Shazad, Krishna Chandran, Mohammad Naveed, Nasir Aziz, Rohan Mustafa.
Time: 3:30 GMT | 9:00 IST
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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