Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana mixed for six wickets to steer Sri Lanka to a 20-run victory over Eire of their ICC Males’s T20 World Cup 2026 sport on the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Sunday.
Chasing 164, Eire struggled towards Sri Lanka’s spin assault and had been bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs.
The Irish innings started shakily as Maheesh Theekshana struck early, dismissing skipper Paul Stirling for six off 13 balls, which included a 4, within the second supply of the third over.
Ross Adair and Harry Tector then steadied the innings with an important partnership, guiding Eire previous the 50-run mark.
Nonetheless, Wanindu Hasaranga broke the stand, dismissing Adair for 34 off 23 balls, which included 5 fours and a six, leaving the workforce at 56-2 in eight overs.
Tector and Lorcan Tucker tried to rebuild, taking the rating previous 100 with a precious 50-run partnership. Dunith Wellalage broke the stand, dismissing Tucker for 21 off 18 balls, together with two fours, at 105-3 in 14.2 overs.
Tector continued to impress with a preventing 40 off 34 balls, together with a 4, earlier than Hasaranga eliminated him, claiming his third wicket of the match.
The spinners then wreaked havoc as Theekshana dismissed Ben Calitz for 4 and Gareth Delany for a duck in the identical over, lowering Eire to 120-6 in 16.4 overs.
Curtis Campher fell to Hasaranga, whereas Dushmantha Chameera accounted for Mark Adair, who scored 10.
Matheesha Pathirana wrapped up the innings by dismissing George Dockrell for 9, and Matthew Humphreys for a duck.
Batting first, Sri Lanka made a gentle begin by openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara, who started accumulating runs early on.
Nonetheless, their 28-run partnership was damaged when Mark Adair dismissed Mishara on the ultimate supply of the fourth over. Mishara scored 14 off 11 balls, together with two boundaries.
Kusal Mendis then joined Nissanka within the center, and the pair stabilised the innings with a 34-run stand, taking Sri Lanka previous the 50-run mark.
The partnership ended when George Dockrell eliminated Nissanka, who scored 24 off 23 deliveries, together with a 4 and a six, leaving the hosts at 62-2 in 8.2 overs.
Sri Lanka suffered one other setback quickly after as Dockrell struck once more, clear bowling Pavan Rathnayake for 5 off 9 balls.
The strain mounted additional when Dunith Wellalage was dismissed for 10 off 13 deliveries by Gareth Delany, lowering Sri Lanka to 86-4 in 13.5 overs.
Kusal then discovered strong help from Kamindu Mendis because the duo rebuilt the innings and pushed the whole past 100. Their essential 50-run partnership noticed Kusal deliver up his 18th T20I half-century for Sri Lanka.
The stand was ultimately damaged within the nineteenth over when Barry McCarthy dismissed Kamindu, who performed a blistering cameo of 44 off 19 balls, that includes 4 fours and two sixes, with Sri Lanka at 153-5.
McCarthy struck once more in the identical over to take away skipper Dasun Shanaka for a duck.
Kusal Mendis remained unbeaten on 56 off 43 balls, laced with 5 fours, whereas Wanindu Hasaranga managed one run off two deliveries as Sri Lanka closed on 164-6.
