Sri Lanka won their final warm-up game against Ireland by a convincing 41 runs, putting them back on track for the main showdown.
Unlike the first warm-up game, the two Sri Lankan openers got off to a positive and aggressive start after being put into bat by the Irish skipper Paul Stirling. However, Sri Lanka’s middle-order woes continued as in the previous game. They lost five wickets for just 82 runs within 11 overs.
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Seasoned campaigner and Sri Lanka’s most experienced player, Angelo Mathews, steadied the ship by top-scoring with an unbeaten 32. Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga and Dasun Shanaka chipped in with two quick cameos, scoring 23 and 21 respectively.
Irish bowlers Barry McCarthy and Josh Little shared the spoils with two wickets apiece. However, Mark Adair was particularly economical, conceding just 26 runs and picking up a wicket from his four overs. Adair was brilliant in the backend of Sri Lanka’s innings with his death bowling.
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Chasing a target of 164 runs, the Irish batters mirrored Sri Lanka’s early promise with a brilliant start of their own. However, Sri Lanka’s experienced bowling lineup proved too much to handle. Dasun Shanaka spearheaded the bowling attack with a brilliant haul of four wickets. Maheesh Theekshana was equally impressive, conceding only 14 runs in his four overs while picking up two crucial wickets.
Sri Lanka kicks off their T20 World Cup campaign with a crucial Group D clash against South Africa on Tuesday, June 3rd at 8 pm (IST).
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka 163/8 (20) Angelo Mathews 32*, Wanindu Hasaranga 26, Dasun Shanaka 23, Barry McCarthy 2/31, Josh Little 2/45
Ireland 122 (18.2) Curtis Campher 26, Paul Stirling 21, Dasun Shanka 4/23, Maheesh Theekshana 2/14, Wanindu Hasaranga 2/40
Result – Sri Lanka won by 41 runs
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Lorcan Tucker b Craig Young | 22 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 146.67 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Gareth Delany b Josh Little | 13 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 162.50 |
| Kamindu Mendis | b Josh Little | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | c Paul Stirling b Barry McCarthy | 13 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 118.18 |
| Charith Asalanka | c Harry Tector b Curtis Campher | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 46.15 |
| Wanidu Hasaranga | c Josh Little b Ben White | 26 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 123.81 |
| Angelo Mathews | not out | 32 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 106.67 |
| Dasun Shanaka | c Mark Adair b Barry McCarthy | 23 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 153.33 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | c Craig Young b Mark Adair | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 225.00 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 17 (b 0 , lb 4 , nb 2, w 11, pen 0) |
| Total | 163/8 (20 Overs, RR: 8.15) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Adair | 4 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 7.00 | |
| Josh Little | 4 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 11.25 | |
| Craig Young | 2.2 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 8.64 | |
| Barry McCarthy | 2.4 | 0 | 31 | 2 | 12.92 | |
| Curtis Campher | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2.50 | |
| Ben White | 3 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 7.33 | |
| Gareth Delany | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 4.50 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Balbirnie | c Kusal Mendis b Maheesh Theekshana | 16 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 94.12 |
| Paul Stirling | c Angelo Mathews b Dushmantha Chameera | 21 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 161.54 |
| Lorcan Tucker | lbw b Wanidu Hasaranga | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Harry Tector | c Angelo Mathews b Dasun Shanaka | 13 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 162.50 |
| Curtis Campher | lbw b Maheesh Theekshana | 26 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 100.00 |
| George Dockrell | b Dasun Shanaka | 17 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 170.00 |
| Gareth Delany | b Wanidu Hasaranga | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Mark Adair | c Kusal Mendis b Dasun Shanaka | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Barry McCarthy | c Wanidu Hasaranga b Dasun Shanaka | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Craig Young | lbw b Matheesha Pathirana | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Josh Little | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 6 (b 0 , lb 1 , nb 0, w 5, pen 0) |
| Total | 122/10 (18.2 Overs, RR: 6.65) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo Mathews | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 6.00 | |
| Dushmantha Chameera | 2 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 9.50 | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 4 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 3.50 | |
| Wanidu Hasaranga | 4 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 10.00 | |
| Dasun Shanaka | 3.2 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 7.19 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 4.33 | |
