Wanindu Hasaranga and Dunith Wellalage struck in quick succession as Sri Lanka managed to pull their way back into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 contest against Ireland in Colombo on Sunday night. The strikes opened the way for Maheesh Theekshana to bag two quick wickets, giving the co-hosts a 20-run win in their opening contest.
“Well-earned victory. Very happy about the overall performance. The start was a bit of a struggle, but Kusal held it in the end, with Kamindu’s cameo the turning point. He batted like he was on a different wicket. Really happy with his comeback and expect a lot from him in the coming games. I expected the wicket to be flatter with the grass left on the wicket. Initially thought toss will play a crucial part, but it helped us in the second phase, it slowed down a bit. The confidence from the bowling unit, it carries from the last game. Wanindu got a problem with his hamstring, hopefully it will not be serious. Maheesh bowled well in the middle overs,” said an elated Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka.
Ireland had muscled their way with the bat with Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker adding 49 runs for the third wicket after losing both openers for 56 runs. Ross Adair provided a fiery start in the chase despite Maheesh Theekshana rocking the stumps of Ireland skipper Paul Stirling in the fourth over.
Adair was joined by Harry Tector and the pair continued strike roatation with impressive running between the wickets. Wanindu Hasaranga added to Sri Lanka’s case with his third wicket, closing with stellar figures of 3/25.
“To be honest, felt they got 15-20 too many. At the start of the day, we would have been happy chasing it. But you could find 20 runs almost anywhere in the match. When the match was on the line, we were not as clinical. A bit sloppy in the field. Experience told today. At the end, it was the difference (between us and them). They defended well at the back end. They upped the ante and put the squeeze on,” said Ireland captain Paul Stirling.
Despite losing Kamil Mishara early, Sri Lanka had a strong powerplay where they amassed 50 runs.
The pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis added 34 runs together before George Dockrell got the big wicket of Nissanka (24 off 23). Soon after Dockrell struck again dismissing Pavan Rathnayake to put Sri Lanka in a tricky situation at 68/3.
Ireland bowlers continued to keep the Sri Lankan batters in check, restricting boundaries as the scoring rate dipped. Sri Lanka slowly crawled their way to 95/4 by the 15th over.
Things turned around for Sri Lanka as Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Mendis stitched together a crucial 67-run partnership, providing Sri Lanka’s innings with the much-needed boost. Kamindu smashed 44 off just 19 deliveries to completely turn the tide in Sri Lanka’s favour. Kamindu Mendis gritty knock of 56 not out off 43 guided Sri Lanka to a competitive total of 163.
“When I went to the middle, wanted to keep my momentum and wanted to score runs and put on a partnership with Kusal Mendis. Ireland played well till 15-16th over but credit goes to our bowlers. Maheesh and Chameera bowled well. We thought it would be a 170-plus wicket but when playing the spinners, it felt like a 160 or something (pitch). We just wanted to put 160 on the board and we just defended it. It was a good game, good start to the tournament. Boys did well, Kusal did well,” said Kamindu Mendis.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 163 for six in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 24, Kusal Mendis 56 not out, Kamindu Mendis 44; Barry McCarthy 2/40, George Dockrell 2/17) beat Ireland 143 in 19.5 overs (Harry Tector 40, Ross Adair 34, Lorcan Tucker 21; Maheeesh Theekshana 3/23, Matheesha Pathirana 2/26, Wanindu Hasaranga 3/25).
