An unbeaten knock of 80 from Niall O’Brien helped Ireland to a three-wicket win over Scotland in Dubai as Phil Simmons’s side took control of the Tri-Series.
Chasing a target of 217, Ireland lost skipper William Porterfield and Ed Joyce in the first nine balls of their innings, with Ireland's other top-order left-hander coming to the rescue to help his country record a 12th ODI victory in 16 clashes against Scotland.
O'Brien had six partners during his time at the crease, with Ireland looking in a spot of bother when his younger brother Kevin edged behind after making 13 to give Iain Wardlaw his third wicket and leave the score on 100 for five.
Key stands
It took key stands of 43 with
Andrew Balbirnie
(20) and 61 with
John Mooney
(36) to get Ireland close to the target, with O’Brien recording a 12th ODI half-century before
Alex Cusack
hit the winning boundary in the 47th over.
Ireland were sharp in the field after winning the toss and putting the Scots into bat, with Craig Young removing both openers in his first two overs.
Young ended up with excellent figures of three for 27 from his 10 overs, with fellow seamers Cusack (two for 35) and Mooney (two for 52) also in the wickets, with Mooney finally ending the resistance of Matt Machan in the 48th over after the Sussex player had top-scored with 86.
There was also some outstanding ground fielding, with Mooney and George Dockrell both scoring direct-hit run-outs, but an extras count of 30, including 22 wides, will mean plenty of work in the nets ahead of next weekend's second set of games, starting on Saturday against Afghanistan.
