Porterfield, Balbirnie fifties lead rout of UAE

Ireland 203 for 2 (Porterfield 76, Balbirnie 58*) beat UAE 202 (Anwar 48, McBrine 3-42, Young 3-48) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Half-centuries from captain William Porterfield and Andy Balbirnie helped Ireland ace their chase of 203 and secure the two-match series against UAE in Dubai. Balbirnie remained unbeaten on 58 off 67 balls as Ireland completed the victory with eight wickets and 49 balls to spare.

The win was set up by seamer Craig Young and offspinner Andy McBrine, who claimed three wickets each to help dimiss UAE for 202 in 47.5 overs.

Young struck in his first over when he bowled Mohammad Naveed for 4. McBrine too struck in his first over - the fifth of the innings - when Ghulam Shabber lobbed a return catch. Shaiman Anwar and Rameez Shahzad then mounted a fightback by adding 76 for the fourth wicket in 19.2 overs.

From thereon, things went downhill for UAE. Muhammad Usman pitched in with 29 but UAE lost their last six wickets for just 57 runs. George Dockrell and Jacob Mulder, playing his first ODI, complemented McBrine and Young with two wickets each.

Porterfield and Paul Stirling then laid the foundation for the chase with a 94-run opening stand. Ireland simply launched from there and completed a handsome win. Porterfield struck eight fours during his 76 while Balbirnie hit seven fours in his third ODI fifty, as he and Niall O'Brien finished off the chase.