Watch: Gareth Delany blasts eight sixes as Ireland cruise to win in final World Cup warm-up

Gareth Delany of Ireland bats during against Bangladesh in the warm-up match prior to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi. Picture: Gareth Copley-ICC/ICC via Getty Images

An unbeaten 50-ball 88 from Gareth Delany lifted Ireland to a comfortable 33-run win over Bangladesh in their final warm-up fixture ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Delany showed blistering power in a knock that included eight sixes and three fours, taking Ireland to a total of 177-3. In response, Bangladesh were derailed by the loss of three wickets inside three overs, with Ireland’s frontline bowlers all among the wickets in their last run-out before taking on the Netherlands in the World Cup on Monday.

Paul Stirling, Balbirnie and Harry Tector all scored in the 20s with the bat in the first innings while with the ball, Mark Adair took three wickets, there were two each for Craig Young and Josh Little while spinners Simi Singh and Ben White also getting on the board.

Just an “8️⃣ sixes” kind of day for Gareth Delany.💥#BackingGreen ☘️🏏 #Exchange22 pic.twitter.com/glUXHWh14d

— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) October 14, 2021

“I’ve found the going pretty tough so far on the slower wickets, but thankfully today there was a lot more pace which suits my game better," said Delany, 24. "I was just happy to come off today and help to post a competitive score."

After six days of quarantine since landing in the UAE, this was Ireland's sixth and final warm-up match, with the Andy Balbirnie-captained side winning three and losing three ahead of the tournament.

“We’ve all acclimatised to the heat pretty well now - we’ve experienced training and playing at all stages of the day, so we’re definitely more used to it. It does still take its toll in terms of fluid loss, so it’s important we stay well hydrated," added Dubliner Delaney.

“The group’s confidence has definitely improved since the UAE series - we were all very disappointed in losing it (two games to one), but we’ve put in two very strong performances with both the bat and the ball in these warm-up games.

"Hopefully we can continue our good form into the first game against the Dutch.”