United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ireland (IRE) are all set to mark the commencement of the two-match series, with the first T20I scheduled to be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, January 29. The two sides last played a 20-over fixture way back in February 2022.
The United Arab Emirates will look to enjoy their time in the middle before heading to the subcontinent to play the T20 World Cup 2026. Muhammad Waseem, who is set to lead the side for the series, is expected to play a key role with the bat, while also leading the charge as the captain.
On the other hand, the Irish side has already spent some time in Dubai, where they played three T20Is against Italy, winning the series 2-1. The side will be confident of pulling off another brilliant performance in the couple of encounters to make sure they have their plans ready for the twenty-team tournament, starting February 7.
UAE vs IRE Match Details
| Match | United Arab Emirates vs Ireland, 1st T20I, Ireland tour of United Arab Emirates 2026 |
| Date and Time (IST) | Thursday, January 29, 7:30 PM |
| Venue | Dubai International Cricket Stadium |
| Broadcast and Live-Streaming | FanCode (App & Website) |
Dubai International Cricket Stadium: Pitch Report
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai is expected to carry a well-balanced surface in the upcoming contest, where batters are likely to dominate in the first half of the match. Although chasing isn’t a difficult task here, the lack of moisture in the wicket, leading to further dryness with the progression of the match, results in the ball coming to the bat at a relatively difficult pace.
UAE vs IRE Head-to-Head T20I Record
| Matches Played | 11 |
| Won by UAE | 07 |
| Won by IRE | 04 |
| Tied / No Results | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | March 19, 2014 (IRE Won) |
| Most Recent Fixture | February 24, 2022 (UAE Won) |
UAE vs IRE Predicted Playing XIs
United Arab Emirates (UAE):
Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Waseem (captain), Rahul Chopra (wicketkeeper), Aryansh Sharma, Sohaib Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh, Muhammad Rohid
Ireland (IRE):
Paul Stirling (captain), Ross Adair, Curtis Campher, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wicketkeeper), George Dockrell, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Gareth Delany, Craig Young, Mark Adair
UAE vs IRE Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Paul Stirling
Star opening batter Paul Stirling has been in a rich vein of form in the shortest format of the game. During the course of his last five outings in T20Is, Stirling has amassed 135 runs at a healthy average and a decent strike rate, which makes him one of the batters to watch out for in the upcoming fixture on Thursday.
Probable Best Bowler: Simranjeet Singh
In the last five T20I matches, fast bowler Simranjeet Singh has managed to pick up five wickets and has also been able to stem the flow of runs. While bowling on tough tracks in Dubai, where finding boundaries against pacers isn’t too difficult a task for the batters, Simranjeet emerges as the frontline bowler who can provide early breakthroughs. The ace pacer is expected to play a similar role in the series opener.
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