Maheesh Theekshana and one-legged Wanindu Hasaranga shone through with the ball when it really mattered to upstage Ireland by 20 runs and start the campaign with a win. Maheesh Theekshana struck in the powerplay while Hasaranga ran through the side in the middle overs. Both ran through the side in the end overs as well. Before that, Sri Lanka batted first after losing the toss and were struggling at one stage but due to Kusal and Kamindu Mendis and sloppy work from Ireland as Sri Lanka made 163/6 in 20 overs.
When defending the score, Ireland started well, but Sri Lanka kept coming as Theekshana and Hasaranga bagged 3 wickets apiece while Wellalage picked up one wicket as 7 wickets fell to spin tonight. For Ireland, Harry Tector made 40 while Ross Adair made 34 but no one other than these two made any significant contribution to the score as Ireland were eventually bowled out for 143 in the final over with Pathirana picking up 2 wickets and Chameera picking up one wicket. Sri Lanka won the game by 20 runs.
Kusal & Kamindu Mendis shines to help Sri Lanka post 163/6 in 20 overs
Put into bat first, Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara came out to bat for Sri Lanka while Matthew Humphreys had ball in hand for Ireland. Sri Lankan openers gave the team a solid start and a steady one at that as well. They put on 28 runs for the first wicket before Mishara gave his wicket away to Mark Adair for 14 off 11 balls with 2 fours to his name after surviving a dropped catch earlier in the over. Kusal Mendis came to the crease next.
Mendis and Nissanka stitched together another partnership and played their shots and took Sri Lanka to 50/1 in 6 overs at the end of the powerplay. The duo carried on after that but the spinners came on after powerplay and put a brake on the scoring as George Dockell and Gareth Delany bowled well as well. The duo added 34 runs for the second wicket before Nissanka gave it away as he fell after getting a start to go for 24 off 23 balls with one four and one six to his name to George Dockrell. Pavan Rathnayake came out to bat next.
Rathnayake did not last long as Sri Lanka were 68/2 in 10 overs and in the start of the 11th over, Pavan fell for 5 off 9 balls to Dockrell who cleaned him up once again. Dunith Wellalage came out to bat next and wanted to get a move on but struggled in the middle. Kusal and Wellalage added 18 runs for the 4th wicket before Wellalage fell for 10 off 13 balls to Gareth Delany. Kamindu Mendis came to join Kusal in the middle and the duo provided the rescue act for Sri Lanka.
The co-hosts were struggling at 95/4 in 15 overs. Then, the duo especially Kamindu switched gears while Kusal held one end up. Ireland helped Sri Lanka on the way by bowling loads of wides and no balls which turned out to be a nightmare for them. Multiple dropped catches waist height no balls to name a few. It went haywire for Ireland in the last 5 overs.
Overs of 21, 19 to name a few became common for the Lankans as they got out of jail big time to get to a competitive score in the middle. Kamindu changed the game and provided the finishing check. Ireland were deflated in the field and did not know what to do. Barry McCarthy bowled waist high full tosses and just made matters worse.
The two Mendis’ put on 67 important runs for the 5th wicket before Kamindu fell for 44 off 19 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to his name to McCarthy. Captain Dasun Shanaka came to the crease and went out to a waist high full toss for a golden duck as the bowler had two wickets in two balls. Barry was on a hat-trick as Hasaranga survived the hat-trick ball.
Kusal Mendis survived the hat-trick ball and scored a fifty as he held the innings together and added 10 runs for the 7th wicket as Sri Lanka ended with a competitive 163/6 in 20 overs. Kusal Mendis was unbeaten on 56 off 43 balls with 5 fours to his name. Hasaranga was with him on 1* off 2 balls. 9 extras given by the fielding side.
George Dockrell was the pick of the bowlers for Ireland with figures of 2/17 in 4 overs. Barry McCarthy finished with 2/40 in 3 overs. Gareth Delany finished with 1/24 in 4 overs. Mark Adair finished with 1/33 in 4 overs. Matthew Humphreys finished with 0/44 in 4 overs. Harry Tector finished with an over for 5 runs. So, this meant Ireland’s target was 164 to win off 20 overs to beat Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Maheesh Theekshana & Wanindu Hasaranga’s 3 wicket hauls helps Sri Lanka stave off Ireland by 20 runs
Chasing 164 for the win, captain Paul Stirling and Ross Adair came out to open for Ireland while Dushmantha Chameera started the proceedings for Sri Lanka. The Irish openers gave the team a sedate start but a steady one at that as they put on 24 runs for the first wicket before captain Paul Stirling’s struggle ended at 6 runs off 13 balls with one boundary to his name to Maheesh Theekshana. Harry Tector came out to bat next.
Ross Adair looked good and got a start while Tector was the best batter for the side tonight. The powerplay score was 45/1 in 6 overs for Ireland. The duo of Adair and Tector looked good and added 32 runs for the second wicket before Ross Adair fell for 34 off 23 balls with 6 fours and one six to his name to Wanindu Hasaranga as he cleaned him up on one leg as Hasaranga injured his hamstring.
Keeper batter Lorcan Tucker came out to bat next. Tector and Tucker tried to forge a partnership and they did so as the Irish had the better of the middle overs and accelerated at the right time to get the run rate going. Tector was the aggressor while Tucker hung in there for long. They aced the middle phase and put the pressure back on the home team. The duo put on 49 important runs for the third wicket before Tucker fell for 21 off 18 balls with 2 fours to his name to Dunith Wellalage. Curtis Campher came out to bat next and he was ready to play his shots.
Tector became the key player after Tucker fell but after being set for the death overs phase, Tector too fell as just 8 runs were added to the tally before Tector fell for 40 off 34 balls with one four to his name to Hasaranga. Benjamin Calitz came out to bat next. Just 6 runs were added to the scoreboard before Calitz fell for 4 off 4 balls to Theekshana. Gareth Delany came out to bat next as he fell first ball as Theekshana had two in two balls with the batter going for a golden duck.
George Dockrell came to face the hat-trick ball and negotiated the ball away. Now, Ireland were on a freefall as wickets fell at regular intervals. Just 6 runs were added to the score before Campher fell for 13 off 11 balls with one four to his name to Hasaranga yet again. Mark Adair came out to bat next. Adair and Dockrell tried their best to keep the fight going for Ireland and added 11 runs more to the tally before Mark fell for 10 off 6 balls with one boundary to his name to Dushmantha Chameera. Barry McCarthy came out to bat next. Ireland were 137/8 in 19 overs now.
Dockrell hit a maximum off Pathirana. But Pathirana had his revenge soon as he removed Dockrell for 9 off 7 balls with one boundary to his name as the 9th wicket fell as well. Matthew Humphreys came out to bat next. Pathirana finished things off in style as he nailed the Yorker and got rid of Humphreys for a silver duck as Ireland were bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs. Barry McCarthy remained unbeaten on 0 off 0 balls. 6 extras given by the fielding side.
The Sri Lankan bowlers bowled well and were led by the spinners as 7 wickets fell to spin tonight in Colombo. Maheesh Theekshana was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/23 in 4 overs. He was ably supported by Wanindu Hasaranga who was on one leg but finished with 3/25 in 4 overs. Dunith Wellalage finished with 1/28 in 4 overs. Dushmantha Chameera finished with 1/25 in 3 overs. Matheesha Pathirana finished with 2/26 in 2.5 overs. Dasun Shanaka bowled 2 overs for 12 runs. So, Sri Lanka win by 20 runs. Kamindu Mendis was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead
Ireland will next face Australia in the World Cup 2026 while Sri Lanka will face Oman next. 3 more matches on Day 3 i.e. on Monday 9th February, 2026. First-up it will be Scotland vs Italy in Group C game in Kolkata at 11 am IST. This will be followed by a Group B game where Zimbabwe takes on Oman in SSC Colombo in afternoon game at 3 PM IST. This will be followed by the evening game at 7 PM IST where it is a Group D game featuring South Africa up against Canada in Ahmedabad.
So, a lot to look forward on Monday in T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
Also Read:Â ICC T20 WC 2026: Sri Lanka Spinners Strike Twice To Keep Pressure Going