ICC World Cup Qualifiers, IRE vs UAE | Match Preview, Pitch Report, Predicted XIs, Fantasy Tips & Prediction
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem with team (Twitter)
Winless Ireland and UAE sides will be taking on each other in the final league match of the ICC World Cup 2023 Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. The two teams are currently languishing at the bottom of the Group B points table, and a win in Bulawayo will help them avoid a last-place finish.
Team Preview: Ireland
Ireland, considered as one of the Group B favourites to make it to the Super Six stage, were jolted by Oman and Scotland in their first two matches of the tournament. On both occasions, the Irish batters charted competitive 280-plus totals upfront, but failed to defend amidst high-octane run-chases.
The 133-run larruping at the hands of heavyweights Sri Lankans later became the final nail in the coffin for Ireland’s campaign. Prior to the ongoing qualifiers, Andy Balbirnie and co. also lost 2-0 to Bangladesh in England.
Currently on a five-game losing streak, Ireland will have to overcome past demons if they are to avoid a bottom-place finish.
Team Preview: United Arab Emirates
Much like Ireland, the UAE team also slumped to three successive defeats upfront to face early elimination from the competition. Moreover, two of those three losses were 100-plus hammerings, including the 175-run defeat to Sri Lanka.
As of now, they are placed at the bottom of the Group B points table, owing to a slightly inferior net run-rate than Ireland.
Match Details
Date and Time: June 27, 12:30 PM IST
Venue: Bulawayo Athletic Club, Bulawayo
Live Streaming and Broadcast: Star Sports Network & Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report
The conditions at Bulawayo Athletic Club are generally known to be favourable for batters, with something on offer for the pacers upfront as well. The average first innings total at the venue this tournament has been 278. The toss will not factor much into the outcome here, considering the recent results.
Probable Playing XIs
IRE: Paul Stirling, Andy McBrine, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Joshua Little and Barry McCarthy.
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Rohan Mustafa, Vriitya Aravind, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Ali Naseer, Aayan Afzal Khan, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan and Junaid Siddique.
Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips
Wicketkeeper: Aryansh Sharma
Batters: Muhammad Waseem, Andy McBrine, Paul Stirling
All-Rounders: Curtis Campher, Ali Naseer, George Dockrell
Bowlers: Mark Adair, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Josh Little
Captain: Curtis Campher
Vice-Captain: George Dockrell
Prediction
Ireland will start out as favourites to overcome their UAE challenge.
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