Ireland won toss, elected to bat first against UAE
Visitors posted 178-run total in Dubai
Hosts bowled out for just 121 runs in 19.5 overs
Tour serves as vital prep for T20 World Cup 2026
Hello and welcome to the highlights of our coverage of the first T20 international between United Arab Emirates and Ireland at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday (January 29, 2026). The game was part of a short two-match series, organized ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The visiting Ireland crushed UAE by a massive 57-run margin to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Batting first, Paul Stirling's men posted a competitive 178-run total before bowling the hosts out for just 121 runs in 19.5 overs. Matthew Humphreys and Gareth Delany claimed three wickets apiece for the victors.
The two teams are looking to prepare in right earnest for the 20-over showpiece, which starts on February 7. UAE are in Group D at the T20 World Cup and play New Zealand in Chennai on February 10, after which they travel to Delhi to play Canada on February 13 and Afghanistan on February 16.
Ireland are in Group B and play all their matches in Colombo: against Sri Lanka on February 8 and the Premadasa Stadium, against Australia on February 11 at the Premadasa Stadium, and against Oman on February 14 at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
Catch the cricket scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary from the UAE vs IRE match, as it happened:
UAE Vs Ireland, 1st T20I: Toss Update
Ireland won the toss and elected to bat first against UAE.
UAE Vs Ireland, 1st T20I: Playing XIs
Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys
United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem (c), Aryansh Sharma (wk), Sohaib Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra, Harshit Kaushik, Basil Hameed, Muhammad Arfan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah
UAE Vs Ireland, 1st T20I: Squads
Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Benjamin Calitz, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Craig Young, Benjamin White, Joshua Little, Curtis Campher, Tim Tector
United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem (c), Rahul Chopra (wk), Basil Hameed, Alishan Sharafu, Harshit Kaushik, Sohaib Khan, Muhammad Zohaib, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Aryansh Sharma, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Muhammad Arfan
UAE Vs Ireland T20I Series: Live Streaming Info
Where will the UAE vs Ireland T20I series be live streamed and telecast?
The UAE vs Ireland T20I series will be live streamed on the FanCode app and website in India. It will not be telecast on any TV channel in the country.
