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.

After beating Bermuda and getting the best of a draw against Scotland, skipper Trent Johnston does not underestimate the task facing his team, especially without strike bowler Boyd Rankin.

Johnston said: “It will not be a walk in the park for us but we are experienced enough to cope with the challenge and we know what it requires to win this tournament — adaptability and adjustment to different conditions is part of that package.

“The best way of winning the game will be to dominate the proceedings from the very first session and that is what we plan to do.”

Johnston will be comforted by both the availability of fast bowler Dave Langford-Smith, and the knowledge that Ireland thrashed the UAE by an innings at the same venue little more than a year ago on their way to winning the Cup for a second time.

Seven of the Ireland squad are veterans of last year’s World Cup campaign, but there are new faces in the line-up too with South African-born Reinhardt Strydom and U19s batsman Paul Stirling looking to make an impact.

IRELAND (squad): T Johnston (capt), W Porterfield, A Botha, A Cusack, P Eaglestone, T Fourie, G Kidd, D Langford-Smith, K McCallan, E Morgon, K O’Brien, N O’Brien (w/k), P Stirling, R Strydom, G Thompson.