The United Arab Emirates defeated Ireland by seven wickets in the final of the Global Qualifier A for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 on Thursday.
Ireland won the toss and opted to bat. The match was played at Al Amerat Cricket Ground. Both teams struggled to start firmly but UAE came out victorious because of Muhammad Waseem’s magnificent century.
Batting first, Ireland lost three key wickets early in the match. Sterling could only score 12 runs off 12 balls before he was sent to the pavilion by Mustafa.
Balbirnie and Delany struggled and scored 4 and 1 runs respectively. Within 4 overs, Ireland was at a score of 19 with the loss of three wickets. At that moment, the match looked like turning its tide towards the UAE.
However, Tucker and Harry Tector came to the rescue and made a 43 run partnership. Harry Tector scored 50 runs off 37 balls before losing his wicket to Zahoor Khan.
Ireland continued to struggle and never found consistency and momentum. At 67, 7 wickets were already lost.
However, some lower order cameos by Getkate, Barry McCarthy and Mark Adair helped Ireland to reach a respectable total of 159 runs in 20 overs.
UAE had the worst start losing 2 early wickets at 12 runs in 4 overs. After that, UAE dominated and never gave Ireland a slight chance to recover.
Muhammad Waseem scored 112 off 66 deliveries which was a decisive factor and made the whole game one-sided.
Chirag Suri scored 3 runs and Aravind failed to open his run account. Additionally, Rohan Mustafa scored 37 off 32 and formed a match-winning partnership with Muhammad Waseem. UAE chased down the target of 159 very easily in 18.4 overs.
After reaching the final, both teams have already qualified for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. However, the outcome determined which teams competed in which groups in the First Round.
The UAE will now be in Group A alongside Namibia and Sri Lanka, while Ireland will be in Group B alongside Scotland and the West Indies.