Sri Lanka flexes muscles in T20 World Cup romp

2 years ago 95

Sri Lanka has shown that past weekend's stunning decision astatine the hands of Namibia is simply a happening of the past aft comfortably easing past Ireland astatine the T20 World Cup.

Up against an in-form Ireland broadside that had dispatched the West Indies successful its past outing, Sri Lanka showed the prime that won it the Asia Cup earlier this year, winning by 9 wickets successful Hobart.

Ireland won the flip and elected to bat, backing its apical bid that proved truthful destructive against the West Indies, but against Sri Lanka's talented attack, it proved to beryllium a antithetic story.

Just 4 batters reached treble figures arsenic Sri Lanka's prima rotation duo Maheesh Theekshana (2-19 disconnected 4 overs) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2-25 disconnected four) played cardinal roles successful restricting Ireland to 8-128 disconnected its 20 overs.

Sri Lanka would've been tense astir a larger tally pursuit with first-choice opener Pathum Nissanka sidelined done injury, but immoderate fears of a stutter were allayed with a 63-run basal for the opening wicket betwixt Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya De Silva.

Mendis has been reformed arsenic an opener successful the T20 format and continued his good signifier with an unbeaten 68 disconnected conscionable 43 deliveries, portion De Silva and Charith Asalanka added 31 runs apiece.

Stream each Australian men's T20 World Cup lucifer positive selected different matches, including the finals, unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

Sri Lanka mowed down the Irish full successful conscionable 15 overs, leaving it with a steadfast nett tally complaint of 2.47.

Its adjacent lucifer volition beryllium against Australia successful Perth connected Tuesday evening, with the reigning champions needing a triumph to support its hopes of defending the T20 World Cup alive.

After the archetypal circular of matches, Australia is bottommost of Group 1 following Saturday's 89-run hammering by New Zealand which near it with a dismal nett tally complaint of -4.45.

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