Ireland suffered a surprise 18-run defeat to Papua New Guinea in their final warm-up match before the World Twenty20 qualifiers.
Kevin O’Brien claimed three for 31 and hit a quickfire 30 but it was not enough as Ireland fell short of PNG’s 161 for eight in searing heat in Dubai.
Former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones hit a match-high 39 for PNG.
Ireland start their World Twenty20 qualifying campaign against Namibia in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
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Despite today’s shock loss they are expected to reach next year’s World Twenty20 in Bangladesh with six countries still to qualify for the expanded 16-team tournament.
