Ireland 'not Taking Any Side For Granted' In T20 World Cup Qualifier, Says Captain

Ireland 'not taking any side for granted' in T20 World Cup Qualifier, says Captain

ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 16th Oct, 2019) Ireland have "a good opportunity to qualify" for the T20 World Cup cricket finals in Australia next year, according to team captain Gary Wilson.

He was responding to questions from the Emirates news Agency, WAM, before Ireland’s nail-biting one run defeat by Scotland in the second of two warm-up games yesterday before the T20 qualifier begins in earnest on Friday.

Ireland is in Group B for the qualifiers, along with the UAE, Jersey, Oman, Hong Kong, Canada and Nigeria.

Looking ahead to the Group B games, Wilson said, "All teams are here at this tournament on merit. In T20 cricket, games are often decided by fine margins and on their day every team has a chance of beating their opponent. The UAE and Oman matches are sides that we have a bit of competitive history with, but we will not be taking any side for granted."

Asked to comment on his team’s objectives in the qualifiers, he said, "In short, we're here to qualify for the T20 World Cup. That has been our goal since we started planning in earnest around 12 months ago. If we back ourselves and play to the level we know we can, then we will give ourselves a good opportunity to qualify. The planning and preparation is done, now it is down to delivering on the field."

"We have played in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai numerous times over the years," he added. "In fact, our highest and second highest T20I scores have been made in Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively."

Delivering a message to the thousands of Irish people who live in the Emirates, Wilson said, "The expatriate Irish community is some of the most vocal and supportive fans we have, and we enjoy travelling to other countries and seeing the fans come out in green to support us. The tournament will be an exciting one, and we'd love to see Irish fans in the stands cheering the team on," he concluded.

Ireland’s opening game in the qualifiers is against Hong Kong on Friday afternoon at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, while they play the UAE on the evening of Saturday 19th October.