Ireland XI 307-7 (50 overs, E Morgan 196*, N O'Brien 45, A Cusack 40)
Abu Dhabi XI 282 (46.3 overs)

National Coach Phil Simmons got his team selection absolutely right but the new boys did themselves no favours as Ireland completed victory in their non-cap game against an Abu Dhabi XI.

Under the magnificent lights of the Sheik Zayed Stadium, the hosts piled up 282 but there was nothing artificial about Eoin Morgan�s innings as the Middlesex batsman lit up the first half of this day/nighter.

On the ground where he hit 209 not out last year, Morgan hit a majestic, undefeated 196, off 171 balls with 23 fours and five sixes to ease the Ireland XI to a 50 overs total of 307 for seven and three early wickets for Kevin O�Brien allowed captain William Porterfield to give his second string attack an extended bowl.

Ireland went into the match without Trent Johnston, Dave Langford-Smith, Andre Botha and Kyle McCallan but they should not have been needed against a host side including only one of the UAE side that played in the Inter-Continental Cup game which ended in the same stadium on Sunday.

Yet, although opening batsman Gayan Silva lasted less than four overs, every Irish bowler, bar Alex Cusack, conceded at least five runs an over. The Clontarf all rounder bowled only one over, the seventh of the innings, but, presumably, after orders from beyond the boundary, he was whipped out of the attack in favour of Thinus Fourie who has a place to play for. Cusack actually left the field with a groin strain.

Rizak Khan, in particular, took a liking to Phil Eaglestone and Fourie as he helped himself to 12 boundaries, four of them maximums, in a 47-ball innings of 64. On his departure, held off a skyer at deep mid-off, slow left armer Gary Kidd and left arm medium pacer Reinhard Strydom were easily picked off by Gopal Nitten and Fayyaz Ahmed who added another 89 in just 12 overs.

Greg Thompson broke the partnership in his second over, thanks to a diving catch on the mid-off boundary by Kidd and the leg spinner easily won the slow bowling duel with his NCU colleague, the Abu Dhabi batsmen unable to resist his flighted deliveries. Unfortunately there were not enough of them.

Eaglestone may not be the instant solution to Ireland�s inability to control the new white ball but he showed he can do a job for the senior team by taking three for 15 from 5.3 overs in his second and third spells. Kevin O�Brien was the reverse after opening up three for 14 from six overs, he went the way of his team-mates in his second spell, three overs costing 24 runs.

The Abu Dhabi tail enders played just like the top order with Fayyaz Ahmed scoring a remarkable 72 from 54 balls with nine fours and five sixes and while he was at the wicket, Ireland were losing. Saeed Sajjad�s 46 came off 33 with two sixes in his half-dozen boundaries and even No 10 Tariq Javaid hit 29 off 22 with three fours and two sixes and the Irish bowlers ended the game with twisted necks.

The fringe batsmen, pushing for a place in the starting line-up for next week�s one-day internationals against Bangladesh were also found wanting and may not get another chance. The new opening pair of Strydom and Paul Stirling, batting for the first time together, took only two balls to get themselves into a muddle and the former was run-out, after just two legitimate balls, trying to get off the mark.

Stirling, who was woken yesterday morning to be told of the death of his grandfather, decided, with the blessing of his father, to play on but he tried to cut his second ball and, with the ball moving away, wicket-keeper Tariq Javaid held a spectacular catch, diving to his right.

When Porterfield connected with a horrible legside swipe, to give the keeper another catch, Ireland were 12 for three and, with the help of five wides, were still in the second over.

Morgan, however, had struck his second ball for four and, joined by Northamptonshire�s Niall O�Brien, a semblance of realism and stability was restored. O�Brien scored 45 of the 97 runs partnership, with seven boundaries, until he missed an intended pull off the slow left armer.

Cusack was promoted ahead of Kevin O�Brien and it was an inspired move as the Clontarf all rounder proved the perfect foil to the increasingly belligerent Morgan. The Australian�s first 22 scoring strokes were singles as he superbly rotated the strike and Morgan, after taking 68 balls over his first 50 accelerated to a century from 107 with 13 fours and a six.

That was in the 34th over and was but the prelude to carnage which yielded 128 in the last third of the innings, 96 of them coming off Morgan�s bat. He was only denied a rare limited overs double century because, when Kevin O�Brien was out, the powerful Railway Union batsman hit the ball so well that, although caught at long-off the batsmen didn�t cross. Fourie was out first ball and although Morgan, fittingly, ended the innings with a six it was one ball too late.

Ireland�s final warm-up game is tomorrow against Essex.