Ireland completed a tense win over an impressive UAE side to make it two wins out of two in their quest to make the World Cup quarter-finals.

In 2019, the World Cup is attempting to avoid a repeat of an Ireland - UAE match-up by ensuring the sides are unable to complete.

They would be disappointed, however, that the two sides combined to produce the most exhilarating match of the tournament will be yet another dagger into the ICC’s hopes of support in removing the associate nations to make the tournament more ‘competitive’.

Ireland will have expected to have comfortably beaten the UAE side, yet as shown during the World Cup, not only is the gap between full members and associates closing, the gap between the associate sides is also narrowing.

Chasing a total of 278, Ireland lost powerful opening batsman Paul Stirling in the second over, edging Manjula Garuge behind to the waiting UAE wicket-keeper Swapnil Patil.

Will Porterfield and Ed Joyce combined to solidify the chase whilst attempting to keep up with the run-rate. However, both departed on 37 to leave Ireland teetering on 94-3 in the 24th over.

Niall O’Brien, instigator of the brilliant win over the West Indies, followed with the score on 97. O’Brien was trapped LBW by UAE captain Mohammad Tauqir and the DRS review was unable to save him.

At this point, much like against Zimbabwe, UAE must have sensed they had one hand on victory.

Gary Wilson joined Andrew Balbirnie at the crease to attempt to rebuild the chase. They managed to do so with a 74 run partnership in 13.2 overs before Balbirnie drove a simple catch to a substitute fielder at mid-off to depart for 30.

Kevin O’Brien joined captain Wilson at the crease with Ireland still needing 108 from 68 deliveries.

By the time Kevin O’Brien had departed for 50, Ireland were left needing 36 from 32 deliveries.

O’Brien and Wilson combined for a 72 run partnership in just six overs. O’Brien dominated the partnership with his 25-ball 50 that included eight fours and two sixes delivered in brutal fashion.

The equation looked simple for Ireland until Wilson guided a short-ball to short third man where Amjad Javed took a stunning low, diving catch to dismiss the Ireland captain for a match-turning 80 off 69 balls.

Twelve needed. Fifteen deliveries remaining.

Fortunately for Ireland, the UAE bowling under-pressure, much like their own in the first innings, tended to be include boundary options. George Dockrell and Alex Cusack combined to drag Ireland past the finishing line with four balls to lead Ireland to their second win in succession.

The victory was made tense as poor Ireland death bowling and excellent UAE lower-order batting undid the pressure created by the early Irish bowling.

Paul Stirling bowled an unbroken spell of ten overs, 2-27 which shacked the UAE top-order. The two wickets of opener Andri Berenger and Krishna Chandran left UAE on 53-2 when their influential captain Khurram Khan came to the wicket.

Khan contributed a solid 36 before falling to a contentious LBW to the bowling of Dockrell whilst opener Amjad Ali scored 45 before picking out Max Sorenson on the deep square-leg boundary via Kevin O’Brien’s bowling.

However, when both were dismissed, along with the swift wickets of Swapnil Patil and Rohan Mustafa to O’Brien and Cusack respectively, UAE were 131-6 and Ireland were sensing an easy victory.

However, Shaiman Anwar, who scored a vital 67 for UAE against Zimbabwe in their previous match had other ideas. Supported competently by fast-bowler Amjad Javed in a 12-over, 107-run partnership, the pair took the attack to the Irish bowling which came unstuck.

O’Brien, particularly, was expensive. His 7 overs costing 61 runs.

Despite Javed departing in the 47th over for 42, Anwar blitzed his way to a century. This was the first World Cup century by a UAE batsman and only the second of all-time following Khurram Khan’s 132 - Afghanistan last year.

Anwar was ultimately dismissed in the 49th over for an 82-ball 106 that had given UAE a competitive total of 278, their third-highest score in ODI’s.

Anwar didn’t deserve to be on the losing side, but UAE will rue their middle-order collapse and inability to convert the pressure when Ireland were under pressure.

Ireland now have four of the ten largest World Cup chases and will need to continue to chase well with the bat as their bowling became unstuck against a UAE batting line-up led by Shaiman Anwar’s excellent century.

Ireland have developed the knack of sneaking over the line from difficult positions. UAE have got themselves in highly promising positions thus far in the tournament and will need to develop the knack of dragging themselves over the line. The only way to do this is by playing further matches against full members. In a World Cup perhaps? Not if the ICC have their way.

The 2019 World Cup pre-qualifying tournament might just be more exciting than the actual event.

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