Ireland collapse to fall five runs short of UAE in second T20

Ireland’s poor form with the bat was highlighted in dramatic fashion in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday as they lost eight wickets for just 37 runs in a five-run defeat to the United Arab Emirates that squared the two-match Twenty20 series between the sides.

Ireland looked well set to chase down a target of 134 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium after skipper William Porterfield and Paul Stirling (28) put on 61 in the first seven overs.

Porterfield brought up his half-century in 41 balls with his seventh four before Stuart Poynter’s dismissal for 10 set off a batting collapse. Five wickets fell in 15 balls towards the end of the innings, with Porterfield run out for 72 - his highest T20 international score - in the penultimate over as Ireland finished on 128 for nine.

Coach John Bracewell will be less concerned with Ireland's bowlers three weeks out from the World Twenty20, as Boyd Rankin (three for 17) and Max Sorensen (two for 16) stood out.

The squad will now have a week’s break before travelling to Chandigarh in the north of India for a training camp ahead of their first warm-up game against Hong Kong on March 3rd in Dharamsala.

SECOND TWENTY20 INTERNATIONAL

(at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi): UAE 133-7 (20 ovs) (S Patil 31, M Shahzad 22, R Mustafa 20; B Rankin 3-17, M Sorensen 2-16), Ireland 128-9 (20 ovs) (W Porterfield 72, P Stirling 28; M Shahzad 2-10, M Naveed 2-16, A Raza 2-19). UAE beat Ireland by five runs and level the series 1-1.