ICC T20 World Cup 2026 - Sri Lanka team wins after defeating Ireland

Although Wanindu Hasaranga suffered a leg injury and was in severe pain after bowling the second ball of his spell, despite that difficulty, he successfully bowled all 4 of his overs, taking 3 wickets for 25 runs, which enabled the Sri Lankan team to record a 20-run victory against Ireland in their first match of this year's World Cup tournament. Colombo R.

With this victory in the match held at Premadasa Stadium, this was recorded in history as their 11th consecutive victory against Ireland in the Twenty20 format.

Winning the toss on a spin-friendly pitch and opting to bat first, the Sri Lankan team's middle order lost several wickets quickly, slowing down their scoring. However, a rapid innings by Kamindu Mendis in the latter part of the innings enabled them to score 163 runs for 6 wickets at the end of the stipulated 20 overs. Several dropped catches by Irish fielders also greatly helped build the Sri Lankan innings, and although Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara opened the innings, Mishara, despite being given two lifelines, failed to capitalize on them. Nevertheless, Kusal Mendis contributed to taking the team to 50 runs during the PowerPlay with a few boundaries.

Subsequently, the Sri Lankan batsmen came under severe pressure from Irish spinners George Dockrell and Gareth Delany, and for 56 balls, they had no opportunity to hit a single boundary. The innings, which stood at 71 for 3 wickets in the 11th over, gained momentum with Kamindu Mendis' boundary in the 16th over, and then, taking full advantage of three dropped catches in Matthew Humphreys' 17th over, Sri Lanka scored 21 runs in that over. The Sri Lankan batsmen plundered 19 runs in Barry McCarthy's 19th over, accumulating 59 runs in the last 4 overs, thus laying the foundation for winning the match.

The Irish team, playing their reply innings, got off to a successful start in the initial overs with Ross Adair's batting, but after he was dismissed by a Wanindu Hasaranga googly, scoring runs became difficult again in the middle overs. Although Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker together took the team to 105 runs by the 15th over, Dunith Wellalage's dismissal of Tucker allowed Sri Lanka to seize control of the match. Subsequently, Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga broke through the opposition's remaining wickets, with Maheesh Theekshana taking 3 wickets for 23 runs, limiting Ireland's innings to 143 runs and securing a decisive victory for Sri Lanka.