Luck was with Ireland yesterday as they beat the United Arab Emirates in a thriller at the Gabba yesterday, the highlight coming when Ed Joyce was given not out despite the bails bouncing up and landing immaculately back in the groove.

After their stunning opening win over the West Indies in Pool B at the World Cup, Ireland looked to be deep in trouble this time against supposedly inferior opposition.

But 80 from man-of-the-match Gary Wilson and a spectacular 25-ball innings of exactly 50 from the destructive O’Brien spurred Ireland to a two-wicket victory, reaching their target of 279 with four balls to spare.

Left-hander Joyce was 16 not out when a Amjad Javed  delivery struck his off stump causing the bails to bounce up but land perfectly back in place and went on to make 37 crucial runs come the end of the game for Ireland as they made it two wins from two matches so far.

Wilson said of his runs: “I was delighted. I hadn’t had too many coming into the game so it was nice to come back and make a good contribution.

“I was confident. I told myself it was my day and luckily enough it worked out.

“I’ve batted a lot with Kev over the years at county and international level and we dovetailed quite well together, it was great to have a partner like that.”

He added on Sky Sports World Cup: “It was a little bit closer than we would have liked but all we can ask for is that we came through at this stage of the tournament so we’re pretty pleased.

“We’re ‘two from two’ and that’s all we can ask for.”

On the Joyce reprieve, Javed said: “Sometimes the bails come off, sometimes they don’t. 

“I’ve seen that, but never with me.”

Javed added that a dropped outfield catch let O’Brien off the hook on 24, which was costly for a UAE bowling attack already weakened with pacer Manjula Guruge restricted to seven overs due to cramps.

“We dropped a catch off Kevin when the run-rate was about 10 per over. That was a crucial time,” he said. “If you’re giving a chance to a Kevin O’Brien type player, he’ll take the game away from you.”

Ireland’s dramatic revival meant the excellent century from UAE number six Shaiman Anwar, who plundered an aggressive 106 from 83 balls in a team total of 278 for nine, went unrewarded.

The biggest test yet for Ireland comes next, on March 3, when they tackle South Africa in Canberra, who currently sit one place below them in the group table after defeat to India on Sunday.