Kevin O’Brien and Boyd Rankin came up with a spirited performance to seal a semi-final spot for Ireland after defeating United Arab Emirates by 24 runs while Hong Kong shocked Netherlands with a 91-run victory in the Desert T20 Challenge encounters in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Ireland 160-6 beat United Arab Emirates 136-7 by 24 runs 9th match, Desert T20 Challenge, Group A, Abu Dhabi Amjad Javed struck early to remove both Stuart Poynter and William Porterfield after Ireland opted to bat first on winning the toss.