The UAE qualified for the Super Six stage of the World Cup qualifier despite a heavy 226-run defeat to Ireland in Zimbabwe on Monday.
Batting first, Ireland smashed 313-6 in their allotted 50 overs, with openers Paul Stirling (126) and William Porterfield (92) adding 205 for the opening wicket inside 35 overs. Kevin O’Brien then cracked 50 off just 26 deliveries to boost the Irish total.
For the UAE, Mohammad Naveed was the most successful bowler with three scalps but gave away 84 runs from his nine overs.
In reply, the UAE were never in the game. They were 65-3 in the 14th before suffering a spectacular collapse to be bowled out for 91 in 29.3 overs. Paceman Boyd Rankin was the most successful bowler for Ireland with 4-15 from six overs. Simi Singh finished with 3-15 from his six overs. UAE’s target had been revised to 318 from 44 overs following rain intervention.
For the UAE, only four batsmen managed to reach double figures.
However, the Rohan Mustafa-led side made it to the Super Six stage after fellow Group A team West Indies defeated the Netherlands by 54 runs.
The result meant the UAE finished third in Group A with four points behind the West Indies (8) and Ireland (6) to qualify for the Super Six stage.
In Group B, Zimbabwe, Scotland and Afghanistan qualified for the next phase.
Since both UAE and Afghanistan qualified as the third team, they won’t carry forward any points to the next stage. The top two teams in the Super Six stage qualify for the 2019 World Cup.
