Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

The Scotland, Kenya and Ireland cricket teams have all suffered shock defeats on the opening day of the ICC World Cup Twenty20 qualifier in the United Arab Emirates.

At the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi the wildcard United States team stunned Scotland with a six-wicket win, while the United Arab Emirates beat Kenya by 15 runs.

Afghanistan also continued their good form with a 13-run win over joint defending champion Ireland in front of several hundred very vocal supporters in Dubai Sports City.

The Netherlands, which shared the qualifier trophy with Ireland in 2008, were the only favoured side to come away with a win, beating Canada by six wickets.

Another loss for any of these four teams will mean the end of their hopes to earn a ticket to the Caribbean, where Pakistan will defend its title in the tournament to be staged from April the 30th to May the 16th.