Mahela Jayawardene saved his team’s blushes with 78 from 53 balls, as Sri Lanka moved a step closer to the semi-finals with an awkward but ultimately comfortable nine-run victory over the unfancied Irish at Lord’s.
After winning the toss and batting first, Sri Lanka were restricted to a modest total of 144 for 9 by a disciplined Ireland bowling performance in which the medium-pacer Alex Cusack excelled with 4 – 18 in three overs. In reply, Will Porterfield and Niall O’Brien raised the prospect of a famous win by adding 59 for the first wicket, but the variety and experience of Sri Lanka’s attack eventually proved overwhelming.
Ireland slumped to an 83 run defeat against New Zealand on Thursday, but this time they remained competitive even after a damaging double setback in the 15th over of their reply, when Ajantha Mendis removed both the dangerous O’Brien brothers, Kevin and Niall, in the space of four deliveries. Ireland carried on swinging until the bitter end, even as Lasith Malinga further undermined their chase with consecutive yorkers to bowl Trent Johnston and Andre Botha, but their final requirement of 18 runs from Malinga’s final over of the innings unsurprisingly proved too much.
For Sri Lanka, Ireland’s challenge came as an unpleasant but timely jolt after their impressive progress in the tournament to date. Their aspirations of a 200-plus total were knocked as early as the second ball of the match, as Tillakaratne Dilshan – their batsman of the tournament so far – top-edged the recalled Boyd Rankin into the safe gloves of Niall O’Brien.
Rankin, who had been rested during Ireland’s 83-run drubbing against New Zealand, caused problems galore with his extra lift off a good length, and when Johnston removed Kumar Sangakkara for 3 from 10, Sri Lanka had been restricted 28 – 2 in their six Powerplay overs – second only to England’s 25 for 3 against South Africa as the slowest start to any innings in the tournament so far.
Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya pieced together the innings with a third-wicket stand of 67 in 49 balls, but it was a becalmed performance by their usual pyrotechnic standards, and it wasn’t until the 11th over of the innings that they finally scored their first and only six, as Jayawardene cracked Cusack over midwicket.
Mahela Jayawardene saved his team’s blushes with 78 from 53 balls, as Sri Lanka moved a step closer to the semi-finals with an awkward but ultimately comfortable nine-run victory over the unfancied Irish at Lord’s.
After winning the toss and batting first, Sri Lanka were restricted to a modest total of 144 for 9 by a disciplined Ireland bowling performance in which the medium-pacer Alex Cusack excelled with 4 – 18 in three overs. In reply, Will Porterfield and Niall O’Brien raised the prospect of a famous win by adding 59 for the first wicket, but the variety and experience of Sri Lanka’s attack eventually proved overwhelming.
Ireland slumped to an 83 run defeat against New Zealand on Thursday, but this time they remained competitive even after a damaging double setback in the 15th over of their reply, when Ajantha Mendis removed both the dangerous O’Brien brothers, Kevin and Niall, in the space of four deliveries. Ireland carried on swinging until the bitter end, even as Lasith Malinga further undermined their chase with consecutive yorkers to bowl Trent Johnston and Andre Botha, but their final requirement of 18 runs from Malinga’s final over of the innings unsurprisingly proved too much.
For Sri Lanka, Ireland’s challenge came as an unpleasant but timely jolt after their impressive progress in the tournament to date. Their aspirations of a 200-plus total were knocked as early as the second ball of the match, as Tillakaratne Dilshan – their batsman of the tournament so far – top-edged the recalled Boyd Rankin into the safe gloves of Niall O’Brien.
Rankin, who had been rested during Ireland’s 83-run drubbing against New Zealand, caused problems galore with his extra lift off a good length, and when Johnston removed Kumar Sangakkara for 3 from 10, Sri Lanka had been restricted 28 – 2 in their six Powerplay overs – second only to England’s 25 for 3 against South Africa as the slowest start to any innings in the tournament so far.
Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya pieced together the innings with a third-wicket stand of 67 in 49 balls, but it was a becalmed performance by their usual pyrotechnic standards, and it wasn’t until the 11th over of the innings that they finally scored their first and only six, as Jayawardene cracked Cusack over midwicket.
Tags: ICC T20 World Cup, Ireland Vs Sri Lanka, T20 world cup 2009, T20 World Cup News
