Stirling, Adair take Jersey down; PNG go on top

ECSTATIC: Papua New Guinea players celebrate the wicket of Singapore opener Rezza Gaznavi in Dubai on Friday.

Paul Stirling scored an unbeaten half-century and Mark Adair took three wickets as Ireland brushed aside Jersey with ease in a Group B tie of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Ireland chose to bowl and Adair was on target in his opening over. Ben Stevens (25) and Nick Greenwood (15) showed some resistance but Adair, Craig Young and David Delany pushed Jersey to 38 for four. Jersey limped to 105 all out in 20 overs.
In reply, Ireland chased down the target in 14 overs. Stirling (58), first shared a 35-run stand with Kevin O'Brien and then a 47-run partnership with Balbirnie, as Ireland won by eight wickets.
Adair said the two points were very crucial ahead of the match against Nigeria on Saturday.
"It wasn't an easy wicket. We bowled pretty straight and mixed pace well. I feel good how the variations are working. I am still trying to learn with each game about what to do in the next one. I take away the good and learn from the bad," Adair, the Man-of-the-Match, said.
Adair warned Nigeria, yet to taste a win, can pose a threat.
"It will not be an easy game at all. Every game is a must-win," he added.
In a Group A game played in Dubai, Papua New Guinea thumped Singapore by 43 runs to top the points table. Singapore elected to bowl, but were punished by openers Tony Ura (30) and Assad Vela (24), who put on 60 in the first six overs. Charles Amini (41) and Kiplin Doriga (43) added further misery to pile 180 runs. Singapore stuttered in their chase as Damien Ravu snared four scalps.
Skipper Vela was satisfied with the performance but said the focus had shifted to their next opponents Kenya.
"T20 format suits the way we play our cricket. We don't play 50-over matches back home. Boys love T20 and that's why we do well. Now we look to the next match. Kenya have got some good players. We hope to execute our plans well," said Vela.
Meanwhile in the second Group A game of the day, Namibia beat Kenya by 87 runs to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for the next round.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com

Brief scores
Ireland beat Jersey by 8 wickets
Jersey: 105 runs in 20 overs (Ben Stevens (25); Mark Adair 3-10). Ireland: 110/2 in 14 overs (Paul Stirling (58 n.o.); Charles Perchard (1-16)
Man of the match: Mark Adair (Ireland)

PNG beat Singapore 43 runs
Papua New Guinea: 180/4 in 20 overs (Kiplin Doriga (43n.o.); Navin Param (2-24). Singapore: 137/9 in 20 overs (Tim David (44); Damien Ravu (4-18)
Man of the match: Damien Ravu (PNG)

Namibia beat Kenya by 87 runs
Namibia: 181/5 in 20 overs (Gerhard Erasmus (52n.o.); Sachin Bhudia (1-6). Kenya: 94 all out in 18.5 overs (Rakep Patel (30); Bernard Scholtz (4-12).
Man of the match: Gerhard Erasmus (Nam)