Group C  of  World T20 finals
..Ireland in Group D alongside West Indies and England
IRELAND were well beaten by Afghanistan in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai, although they had already qualified for the finals.
Ireland’s main objective had already been achieved following their 65-run victory over Holland earlier, which booked their place at the World Twenty20 tournament in May
But a score of 142 for eight from Ireland’s 20 overs was always below par and Afghanistan duly rattled off the runs for the loss of only two wickets and with two and a half overs to spare.
Ireland got off to a good start but simply lost too many wickets, with Niall O’Brien and Alex Cusack the joint highest scorers with 28 each.
Nowroz Mangal was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan, finishing with figures of three for 23 from his four overs.
Afghanistan began their run chase confidently and never looked back.
Opener Karim Sadiq smashed 34 from 17 balls but the star of the show was Mohammad Shahzad, who plundered 65 runs.
Fittingly, from the 46th ball he faced, he cleared the boundary ropes to take Afghanistan to 147 for two and secured an eight-wicket victory.
In the World Twenty20, Afghanistan will join India and South Africa in Group C while Ireland will slot into Group D alongside England and West Indies. (Eurosport)