Agency :
Ireland stumbled to defeat by the United Arab Emirates in their opening T20 World Cup qualifier in Oman on Friday, leaving their hopes of reaching the tournament in the balance.
Andy Balbirnie’s men collapsed from 50-0 to 139-9 from their 20 overs in pursuit of 158 to win, as the UAE claimed an 18-run victory.
Elsewhere, there were losses for minnows Germany and the Philippines, who are both playing at this level for the first time.
Ireland, who have qualified for every T20 World Cup except the inaugural edition in 2007, face Bahrain on Saturday knowing that another defeat would all but end their hopes.
There are two places for the showpiece event, being held in Australia later this year, up for grabs at the Global Qualifier A tournament.
The top two teams in each of the two four-nation groups will reach the semi-finals, with the finalists securing tickets Down Under.
“We really now have to dust ourselves down and come back tomorrow,” said Irish captain Balbirnie. “We now need to win three games of cricket in the next three matches to qualify.”
The UAE were indebted to wicketkeeper Vriitya Aravind’s brilliant unbeaten 97 off 67 balls, as no other batter passed 16 in their total of 157-5.
Balbirnie and Paul Stirling, who struck 32, gave Ireland a strong start in the run chase, but Karthik Meiyappan starred with 3-16 as the Emirati spinners stifled their opponents.
The other game in Group A saw Bahrain move top of the early standings with a six-wicket win over the Germans, reaching their victory target of 107 with 26 balls to spare.
In Group B, Canada thrashed the Philippines by 118 runs.
The Filipino side have not played a match in three years due to the Covid pandemic, and some of their players had never met before arriving in Oman.
The hosts have a mountain to climb to qualify, after being bowled out for 78 to lose to Nepal by 39 runs.
Oman have reached each of the last two T20 World Cups.
The final two spots for the 2022 edition will be decided at the Global Qualifier B event in Zimbabwe in July.
