Ireland just one step away in Dubai

Cricket:Ireland will get a chance for revenge against Namibia in Dubai tomorrow, and with it a place in the World Twenty20 finals in Sri Lanka in September, after they completed a second comprehensive victory in the play-offs by beating the Netherlands by seven wickets this morning.

The victory was built on the same principals as their 10-wicket win over Canada in their opening knock-out game, a hugely impressive bowling and fielding performance followed by explosive hitting at the top of the order to take the game away from their opponents in the first six overs.

Having won the toss, Ireland skipper William Porterfield put the Dutch in to take advantage on the early morning bowling conditions. The opening duo of Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston took full advantage with a wicket apiece, but a third-wicket stand between Alexei Kervezee and South Australia player Tom Cooper threatened to take the game away from Ireland.

The pair hit 55 from 46 balls before Kevin O’Brien made the vital breakthrough with his first delivery as Cooper was trapped leg-before for 26 when an attempted reverse sweep backfired.

O’Brien continued to bowl brilliantly, a huge boost to his captain following the loss of John Mooney and Alex Cusack through injury earlier in the tournament, to finish with two for 17 from his four overs.

George Dockrell took a fine return catch to end Kervezee’s stay after he had scored 56 runs from 48 deliveries, while Paul Stirling bowled two miserly overs, giving away just nine runs and taking a wicket in the final over as the Dutch limped to 114 for seven.

Porterfield set the tone from the start with back-to-back boundaries in the first over, and although he departed for 17 in the fifth over, Ireland already 41 runs on the board.

Dutch off-spinner Michael Swart stalled Ireland briefly with the wickets of Stirling (33 off 26) and Gary Wilson in the space of two balls, but Ireland got home with 20 balls to spare on the back of an unbeaten 42-run stand between Ed Joyce and O’Brien.

Joyce played the steady hand, albeit scoring 25 from 33 balls, while O’Brien opened the shoulders, hitting three sixes and a four to finish on 30 not out from 22 balls.

Ireland go into tomorrow’s game against Namibia on the back of an eight-game winning run after they lost the opening game of the tournament to the African side. On the form Phil Simmons’s side are showing at the moment, they look like continuing that and joining Afghanistan on the trip to Sri Lanka.

SCORES
The Netherlands 114-7(20 ovs) (A Kervezee 56, T Cooper 26; K O'Brien 2-17)

Ireland 115-3(16.4 ovs) (P Stirling 33, K O'Brien 30no, E Joyce 25no, W Porterfield 17; M Swart 2-23).

Ireland won by 7 wickets.