UAE and Ireland will lock horns in the sixth match of the UAE Summer T20 Bash 2021 on Sunday, October 10, at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai.
Ireland, led by Andy Balbirnie, have had a topsy-turvy campaign in the ongoing edition of the T20 tournament. They started with a resounding seven-wicket win over the UAE on October 7 after Paul Stirling scored yet another half-century. The bowlers also made things easier for Ireland.
But in their next meeting against the same opposition, Ireland lost by a mammoth margin of 54 runs. After being put in to bat first, UAE didn’t make a great start as Joshua Little got rid of Waseem Muhammad for a three-ball duck. From there on, opener Chirag Suri steadied the ship.
Suri top-scored for the UAE, racking up 51 runs off 44 balls with three fours and one six. Viritya Aravind, Muhammad Usman and Basil Hameed also made vital contributions as the UAE scored 163 for four in 20 overs. Little, Craig Young and Mark Adair picked up a wicket apiece for Ireland.
Ireland found themselves on the backfoot right from the outset and could hardly show resistance. They lost half of their side for 74 inside the first 12 overs. Four of their batters got into double digits, but none could convert. Curtis Campher top-scored with 22 off 16 balls with one six.
Karthik Meiyappan was the pick of the bowlers for the UAE as he scalped four wickets for 25 runs. He was well supported by Akif Raja, who accounted for three wickets, including those of the in-form Stirling, Kevin O’Brien and Balbirnie. Ireland were bowled out for 109 in 18.4 overs.
Can Ireland make a strong comeback?
Both Ireland and UAE have had their moments to rejoice in their first two T20I outings. Even as Ireland’s batting is their stronger point, UAE’s bowling was good enough the other day in Dubai.
The UAE have home advantage, but Ireland have the firepower to storm back and clinch a win. Although they lost the previous game, there’s no reason why Ireland can’t make a comeback.
Prediction: Ireland to win the match.
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