Sri Lanka's Spin Attack Overpowers Ireland

Sri Lanka began their home T20 World Cup campaign on a strong note, defeating Ireland by 20 runs at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Despite a modest total of 163 for 6, Sri Lanka's potent spin bowling, led by the valiant efforts of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, dismantled Ireland's batting lineup, marking their 11th straight victory over the Irish in the format.

Hasaranga pulled up with a suspected hamstring issue after delivering his second ball but soldiered on to complete his four overs, limping to impressive figures of 3 for 25. "He still got through his four overs, barely completing his action but still limped his way to match-winning figures," reports highlighted his resilience.

Sri Lanka's Batting Struggles and Late Surge

Opting to bat first on a surface that gripped and turned, Sri Lanka's innings was a tale of two halves. The top order huffed and puffed against Ireland's spin attack, with boundaries drying up like "monsoon puddles in the Colombo sun." Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis added steadily but cautiously, facing a miserly spell from spinners Matthew Humphreys, George Dockrell, and Gareth Delany. A frustrating 56 deliveries passed without a boundary, the longest such drought in the middle overs of a T20I.

Nissanka fell for 24 off 23, caught off Dockrell, and Pavan Rathnayake was bowled attempting a ramp shot, leaving Sri Lanka at 71 for 3 in the 11th over. The tide turned dramatically in the death overs. Kamindu Mendis unleashed pyrotechnics, smashing 44 off 19 balls, including a crucial reverse sweep to end the boundary drought. The 17th over from Humphreys leaked 21 runs amid dropped catches, and Barry McCarthy's 19th over was chaotic, conceding 19 runs with wides and no-balls. Sri Lanka plundered 59 runs in the last four overs, reaching 163 for 6, with Kusal Mendis top-scoring on 56.

Ireland's Chase Falters Under Spin Pressure

Ireland started strongly, posting 45 in the PowerPlay with Ross Adair's bright knock. However, once Hasaranga dismissed Adair with a googly, the middle order struggled to accelerate. At 105 for 2 in the 15th over, Harry Tector (40) and Lorcan Tucker offered hope, but Dunith Wellalage triggered a collapse by removing Tucker.

Hasaranga returned to have Tector hole out, and Theekshana claimed 3 for 23, including the wickets of Benjamin Calitz and George Delany off successive balls. Ireland lost 8 wickets for just 38 runs, folding at 143 in 19.5 overs. "Ireland threatened to run them close in the chase for a brief while but ultimately fell short by 20 runs, unable to force the pace against Sri Lanka's potent spin attack," the match summary noted.

Match Summary

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 163/6 in 20 overs (Kusal Mendis 56, Kamindu Mendis 44; George Dockrell 2-20) beat Ireland 143 in 19.5 overs (Harry Tector 40; Wanindu Hasaranga 3-25, Maheesh Theekshana 3-23) by 20 runs.

This win gives Sri Lanka two crucial points to kickstart their campaign on a high.