Ireland ready for crunch clash with Namibia

Given the current standings the winner of the clash in Sharjah will finish second in Group A, and will progress to the next round to meet New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the highest ranked side in Group B, Scotland.

"We didn’t catch much of Namibia’s game against Netherlands, but they did hit the ball well there at the end, and we know they have some very dangerous players,” Head Coach Graham Ford said.

“They have hard-working players, a lot of them have learnt their cricket in South Africa as well, and they pushed us close in the qualifying tournament – we know that they are going to be tough, and if we are slightly off our best than we may struggle.

“I think for us, we come to the tournament with a slightly different view to some of the bigger countries, in that we are gaining and learning with every single outing - trying to make as much progress in our cricket as possible.

“So, every game is important as far as that is concerned

“Win or lose, we are gaining and we are learning, so that’s a big plus for us – but quite obviously we are desperate to go through to the next phase of the tournament as well.

“Despite the loss [against Sri Lanka] we are still alive and still in the competition, and that’s the important thing.”