T20 World Cup 2022, SL vs IRE: Bowlers' brilliance help Sri Lanka decimate Ireland

Lahiru Kumara after getting a wicket [Source: Twitter]

The third Super 12 encounter of the ongoing T20 World Cup witnessed Sri Lanka steamroll Ireland by nine wickets in Hobart. With this thumping victory, the Lankan lions opened their account in the points table. 

Lankan bowlers restrict Ireland to a meagre total

Hasaranga was brilliant with the ball [Source: Twitter]

After electing to bat, Ireland had a forgettable start, losing skipper Andrew Balbirnie and promising batter Lorcan Tucker cheaply. Although Paul Stirling and Harry Tector tried their best to consolidate the innings, Dhananjaya de Silva broke the stand by dismissing the former in his first over. Curtis Campher, the hero of the group stage, couldn't do much, managing only two runs before falling prey to Chamika Karunaratne. 

However, Tector stitched a valuable 47-run stand with George Dockrell, helping Ireland cross the 100-run mark. After he got out, Wanindu Hasaranga removed Gareth Delany and Mark Adair and ensured a sub-par total of 128 for the Irishmen. 

The three Lankan spinners, Maheesh Theekshana, Hasaranga and De Silva, bowled with exceptional control and made it difficult to accelerate for the Irish batters. While Theekshana and Hasaranga scalped two wickets each, De Silva claimed one wicket to his name. Karunaratne, Binura Fernando and Lahiru Kumara shared the remaining three wickets equally. 

Crafty Kusal seizes the day for Sri Lanka 

Kusal Mendis played a scintillating knock [Source: Twitter]

In response, Sri Lanka began the chase extraordinarily, with Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva adding 63 runs for the first wicket. While De Silva contributed 31 before being undone by Gareth Delany, Mendis struck five fours and three humongous sixes for his gorgeous 43-ball 68*. 

Charith Asalanka supported him well, playing a crucial knock of 31 runs. The duo remained unbeaten as Sri Lanka chased the total with five overs to spare. 

From batting to bowling, nothing went right for Ireland in the match. They failed to develop big partnerships with the bat and lacked discipline with the ball, which led to their debacle. 

Brief Scores

Ireland: 128/8 (20)
Harry Tector 45 (42), Paul Stirling 34 (25);
Maheesh Theekshana 2/19 (4), Wanindu Hasaranga 2/25 (4)

Sri Lanka: 133/1 (15)
Kusal Mendis 68* (43), Charith Asalanka 31* (22);
Gareth Delany 1/28 (4)

Sri Lanka won by nine wickets. 

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: What led to West Indies' group stage exit?