UAE-Ireland ODI in Abu Dhabi postponed for fourth time with hopes match will be played on Monday

All-rounder Shane Getkate was called up to the Ireland squad earlier this week

Ireland's second one-day international against the United Arab Emirates, due to take place in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, has been postponed for a fourth time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cricket Ireland said it is hoped that the game will be played on Monday.

Originally scheduled for Sunday of last week, the first two suspensions were due to a number of UAE players testing positive for Covid-19.

There were no new Covid-19 cases reported in the UAE squad on Friday.

However, in a statement, Cricket Ireland said that "UAE public health directives will still not permit a resumption of competitive action between UAE and Ireland at this stage. Both the ECB and Cricket Ireland have agreed to suspend Saturday's scheduled ODI, however hopes remain that a match may still be possible on Monday."

The UAE series was meant to give Ireland crucial match practice for their three World Cup qualifiers against Afghanistan which are scheduled to start also in Abu Dhabi next Thursday.

Initially, Sunday's encounter was pushed back to Tuesday after three home players tested positive.

A further four positives in the camp meant the match was moved to Thursday, however with the hosts instructed to isolate on Monday that date was scrapped in line with advice from the nation's health authorities.

"Frustratingly the wait goes on to resume competitive action, however, we fully accept the rationale for the government health directive, and the health and safety of players and support staff will remain Cricket Ireland's top priority," said Richard Holdsworth, high performance director for Cricket Ireland.

"With the Afghanistan series due to start next Thursday, the players and coaches are keen to get at least another competitive fixture in against the UAE prior to that, so we are hoping that a continued clean bill of health in both camps will allow us to play on Monday. The players will head out for a centre wicket practice tomorrow.

"We share the frustrations of fans who were hoping to see a great series with our hosts, but we acknowledge the work of the Emirates Cricket Board in trying to recover what we can of the series given difficult circumstances. We will keep fans updated as circumstances evolve."