Sports Features

Ireland have booked their spot in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka this September with a dominating nine-wicket win over Namibia.

The Irish side's result in the early hours of this morning mean that Ireland will now take on Afghanistan in the final of the qualifying tournament, with a game to decide which group they will play in.

The convincing nine-wicket win this morning featured a fantastic performance from Paul Stirling, who managed 59 not out off 32 balls. While many will agree that last March's World Cup victory over England is the pinnacle of Ireland's cricket achievements thus far, this morning's result means that the country is taking place in the biggest tournament of the most popular variation of cricket later this year.

"I think Namibia played well throughout the tournament. It was easy picking ourselves up after the defeat against Namibia in the first game because we lost by just four runs," said Irish captain William Porterfield afterwards.

“We came here with a goal of winning this tournament. The qualification has been achieved. We have done it the hard way but it is yet another great day for Irish sport. We just want to keep it going."