UAE vs Ireland – 1st One-Day International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is UAE vs Ireland taking place? Friday 8th January, 2021 – 05:30 (UK)
Where is UAE vs Ireland taking place? Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
What is the expected weather for UAE vs Ireland? 23c with sunshine
What channel is UAE vs Ireland on? The match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream UAE vs Ireland? The match will not be streamed live in the UK
LAST MEETING
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs (D/L method)
THE TEAM NEWS
UAE
- UAE return to one-day action after not playing a match for more than a year as the last time they played was a tri-series back in December 2019 with USA and Scotland and despite losing both games to the North American country, they did win one and see the other abandoned against Scotland.
- They will look to skipper Rohan Mustafa for inspiration and he was in relatively good form in the UAE T20 domestic competition for Fujairah and he will be supported by Mohammad Usman and Basil Hameed who have been solid in this format.
- Ahmed Raza and Junaid Siddique will be their key men with the ball and after conceding 313/6 from a rain-reduced 44-over match the last time they played Ireland, they will hope to make greater inroads this time around.
IRELAND
- This is a key series for Ireland as they look to build some form and momentum in these games against the UAE ahead of an important series against Afghanistan which will be part of the World Cup Super League.
- Ireland have been keen to develop some of their younger players in recent times but they still have a core set of experience in the squad with Andy Balbirnie, Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling.
- Wicketkeeper Gary Wilson is unavailable due to paternity leave while George Dockrell, William Porterfield and Boyd Rankin have all been left out so the shift towards youth and talented players such as Curtis Campher, Mark Adair and Josh Little continues.
THE PREDICTION
Ireland have an outstanding record against the United Arab Emirates having won all six previous meetings in this format of the game so they will be confident coming into this series. The hosts have the advantage from having just played their T20 domestic competition at the end of 2020 so that may help their players to try and bridge the gap with the Irish. The tourists will be fired up to start well and have shown in previous years that they are capable of performing overseas in conditions which may not always suit their pace attack especially. That said, the Irish are improving all the time and with some talented young players coming through, they should have too much for the UAE with both bat and ball.
