Ireland gamble on title defence

IRELAND will discover over the next four days whether the gamble to cede home advantage to the United Arab Emirates in the InterContinental Cup round robin will seriously damage their defence of the title.

In the new format of the eight-nation competition, Ireland were due to play the UAE in Dublin this summer but switched the fixture to Abu Dhabi as the first leg of a pre-season tour that will conclude with three one-day internationals against Bangladesh later this month.

There is an ulterior motive in Ireland’s seemingly generous offer — the next World Cup qualifying tournament is being held in the UAE this time next year, and an early taste of conditions is thought to be an advantage.