Hasaranga Theekshana played decisive roles as Sri Lanka’s spinners triggered Ireland’s collapse in their T20 World Cup opener.
Sri Lanka opened their home T20 World Cup campaign with a controlled 20-run victory over Ireland at the R Premadasa Stadium, riding on decisive spells from Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. The win marked Sri Lanka’s 11th straight triumph over Ireland in the format.
Hasaranga’s contribution was particularly striking. The leg-spinner appeared to suffer a hamstring issue after just his second delivery and laboured through the rest of his spell. Despite barely completing his action and visibly struggling, he finished his four overs with match-winning figures of 3 for 25, underlining his importance to Sri Lanka’s attack.
On a surface offering grip and turn, Sri Lanka’s batting effort was far from fluent. After opting to bat, they crawled for large portions of the innings before a late surge lifted them to a defendable 163 for 6. For much of the first 16 overs, the total looked underwhelming, but a burst of late runs — spearheaded by Kamindu Mendis — changed the complexion of the contest.
Hasaranga Theekshana Dominate on Turning Surface
Sri Lanka’s innings unfolded in two distinct phases. Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara began positively, with Mishara enjoying a slice of luck early on. However, Ireland’s bowlers quickly regained control. Mark Adair removed Mishara to halt the opening stand, and although Kusal Mendis struck a few early boundaries, scoring soon became a grind.
Ireland’s spinners tightened the screws through the middle overs. Matthew Humphreys, George Dockrell and Gareth Delany combined to excellent effect, denying Sri Lanka boundaries for an extended period. Singles and twos dominated as the hosts struggled to find momentum. Nissanka eventually fell attempting to force the pace, and when Pavan Rathnayake was bowled attempting an ambitious ramp, Sri Lanka slipped to 71 for 3 in the 11th over.
The boundary drought finally ended in the 16th over, but the real shift came immediately after. Humphreys was taken apart for 21 runs in the 17th, an over marred by multiple dropped catches that undid much of Ireland’s earlier discipline. The return of pace brought no relief either, as Barry McCarthy’s penultimate over descended into chaos, featuring wides, no-balls and a beamer.
Kamindu Mendis’ explosive 44 off 19 balls injected urgency into the innings, even though both he and Dasun Shanaka fell in quick succession. Sri Lanka still plundered 59 runs in the final four overs, transforming a modest position into a competitive total.
Ireland’s chase began steadily, with Ross Adair providing early impetus during a 45-run PowerPlay. However, once Hasaranga deceived him with a googly, progress slowed dramatically. Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker rebuilt carefully, keeping Ireland in contention at 105 for 2 in the 15th over.
That hope evaporated quickly. Dunith Wellalage broke the partnership, and Hasaranga returned to dismiss Tector soon after. Theekshana then delivered the decisive blows, removing Benjamin Calitz and George Delany in quick succession. Ireland collapsed spectacularly, losing eight wickets for just 38 runs, and were bowled out with a delivery to spare.
The combined spin effort proved too strong, sealing Sri Lanka’s first win of the tournament and setting their campaign on a confident footing.
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka 163/6 (20 overs)
Ireland 143 (19.5 overs)
Sri Lanka won by 20 runs
