Spin twins Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga picked three wickets apiece as Sri Lanka defeated Ireland by 20 runs in a Group B clash of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday. Batting first, Sri Lanka were struggling at 87/4, including not hitting a single boundary in the middle overs, before Kamindu Mendis’s blazing 44 off just 19 balls and Kusal Mendis’s unbeaten 56 off 43 lifted them to an above-par 163/6.
Chasing 164, Ireland looked well placed at 105/2, with Harry Tector set for the final assault alongside a struggling Lorcan Tucker. But both fell in quick succession, and the chase unravelled from there, as Ireland were eventually bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs.
Theekshana returned with 3-23 in his four overs while Hasaranga, battling discomfort in his hamstring, produced a trademark spell of 3-25. It was far from a convincing win, but Sri Lanka pocketed two crucial points, tightening their grip early on in Group B.
Chasing 164, skipper Paul Stirling survived an early chance but was castled by Theekshana for six in the fourth over. Ross Adair counterattacked by striking boundaries off Matheesha Pathirana and Dushmantha Chameera to make 34 off 23 balls.
But Hasaranga, despite struggling with hamstring discomfort, dismissed him with a googly in the eighth over. Tector and Tucker then steadied the chase through a 49-run stand off 38 balls to steady Ireland’s chase. But the dismissal of Tucker for 21 by Wellalage and Tector for 40 by Hasaranga in successive overs turned the game.
Ireland’s middle order collapsed under pressure, with Benjamin Calitz and Gareth Delany falling cheaply to Theekshana, while Curtis Campher was sent back cheaply by Hasaranga. Chameera and Pathirana returned to clean up the tail, as Ireland were dismissed for 143 in 19.5 overs.
Previously, inserted into batting first, Sri Lanka looked in danger of getting out for a small total, before Kusal and Kamindu stitched a 67-run stand off 29 balls to lift the hosts past 160. The duo’s late assault turned the innings around for the tournament co-hosts after a barren middle-overs phase where Ireland’s spinners kept the choke on and didn’t concede a single boundary.
It meant Sri Lanka managed 60 runs in the last four overs, with Kamindu capitalising on dropped catches and loose bowling. Matthew Humphreys and Barry McCarthy conceded 21 and 19 runs respectively as Ireland lost control at the back end of the innings.
Sri Lanka’s innings progression told the story: 50/1 in the powerplay, only 45 runs between overs 7-15 without a boundary, and a turbocharged finish of 68 in the last five overs. While Kusal was the anchor, Kamindu provided the spark that changed momentum.
Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara gave the hosts a steady start by hitting three boundaries, before the latter was caught at mid-off against Mark Adair in the fourth over. Nissanka looked fluent, striking a six off Humphreys, but fell to George Dockrell after hitting to cover for 24.
The middle overs belonged to Ireland’s spinners, as they kept their lengths tight and got enough help from the pitch. They continued to make inroads as Dockrell castled Pavan Rathnayake while Gareth Delany had Dunith Wellalage holing out to long-on, as boundaries dried up completely between overs 7 and 15.
From 95/4, while Mendis held firm, the innings was revived only when Kamindu joined him and got the cheers going by breaking a 57-ball boundary drought with a reverse sweep off Delay for four. Their counterattack left Ireland in a scramble as runs flew thick and fast while chances were shelled.
Though Kamindu and skipper Dasun Shanaka fell in quick succession, Kusal got his fifty and took Sri Lanka to a respectable total at home in a knock laced with five boundaries.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 163/6 in 20 overs (Kusal Mendis 56 not out, Kamindu Mendis 44; George Dockrell 2-17, Barry McCarthy 2-40) beat Ireland 143 all out in 19.5 overs (Harry Tector 40, Ross Adair 34; Maheesh Theekshana 3-23, Wanindu Hasaranga 3-25) by 20 runs