Luck of the Irish deserts them as they let Sri Lanka escape to victory in opener.Sloppy fielding cost Ireland first upset of the World Cup.
BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.
(eLanka Sports Editor)
Sri Lanka pulled off a Houdini act in their opening encounter against Ireland, and the celebration of their win was more of relief and looked like they had won the T20 World Cup at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
There was plenty of justification for the wild celebrations after Ireland squandered every chance of a sensational upset had they held onto their chances in the field.
Sri Lanka would have been the first casualty among the upper rung of teams in the competition as a result.
Jubilation reigned supreme in Colombo as Sri Lanka’s cricket mad fans celebrated wildly, a win that was unconvincing, over one of the lower ranked teams in the game that could well have been disastrous for the co- hosts of the tournament.
After predictions of doom and gloom from all around, mainly by a few disillusioned fans who wagered against them beating anyone in the tournament, they weathered the storm and beat the odds to scamper home for a pulsating 20-run win.
Sri Lanka were tottering at 86 for 4 in the 14th over as the overexcited Irishman were in disarray dropping around four catches in their despairing attempts and let the Lankans off the hook.
Ireland’s spinners George Doctrell, 2 for 17 off his 4 overs, and Gareth Delany 1for 24 off 4 overs wove a web around Sri Lanka’s batters choking the run rate while raising concerns about their technique in home conditions. The recent inconsistency in the batting is baffling.
As the spinners finished their impressive spells conceeding just 31 runs in 8 overs, the pressure release valve appeared to be activated as Sri Lanka recovered and raced to 163 for 6 in their allotment living and surviving cat like lives in their pursuit of a defendable target.
Sri Lanka’s success came on the backs of the ‘Mendis Specials’, Kusal and Kamindu, who waded into the Irish attack in cavalier style down the order to set up what proved to be a winnable total.
While Kusal played a more subdued role for his 56 off 43 balls, Kamindu batting lower in the order, arrived and exploded into action slamming 44 runs off just 19 deliveries to accelerate the total to 163 for six in the last four overs. Together they added 67 for the 5th wicket in a hurry before being parted followed by Skipper Dasun Shanaka whose came and went for a ‘duck’ not helping the Sri Lanka cause.
Kamindu Mendis was named Player-of-the-match for his match winning effort with the bat.
The bowlers led by spin twins Maheesh Theekshana and Wannindu Hasarsnga then showed responsibility going about their task with discipline and purpose to strangle Ireland’s run chase bowling them out for 143, twenty runs short in 19.5 overs.
Ireland made a brave chase for the runs, but losing wickets at regular intervals, never had them in with a chance as Sri Lanka’s bowlers took wickets at regular intervals and tied them down.
Harry Tector made a gallant 40 and figured in the biggest partnership which realised 49 runs. But Hasaranga soon had him heading fo the pavilion ending any chance of an upset.
Both Sri Lanka’s leading spinners grabbed three wickets each, Theekshana 3 for23 off his 4 overs, Hasaranga 3 for25 off 4, Matheesha Pathirana 2 fir26 while Dushmantha Chameera and Dinuth Wellalage took one each in a disciplined performance that would have pleased bowling coach Lasith Malinga to seal a memorable victory.
Sri Lanka’s struggles may not necessarily be application judging by their recent form. There’s a definite distraction in their mindset that suggests deeper unrest and something amiss about team composition and commitment.
Coach Sanath Jayasuriya’s summary dismissal of Charith Asalanka’s omission stating it was form related, doesn’t convince everyone.
Asalanka was stripped of his captaincy about a month before the T20 World Cup because he opted out of the Pakistan tour amid safety concerns.
Yes, he breached team protocols about the way he went about it, but the timing of his punishment and subsequent dropping from the team begs many questions.
Anyone following Sri Lanka cricket is aware of his potential as an all-rounder having singlehandedly led the country to victory on several occasions. So the appointment of Dasun Shanaka, whose has unfortunately been in dismal form to lead, leaves the team a player short and with unanswered questions.
If naming an astute captain was the issue, then looking outside the box, or the selected squad, could have provided an answer by recalling former Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal whose cool calm temperament could have been the sensible reasoning, and may have jelled team cohesion.
I may have raised many eyebrows as the reasoning being thrown around suggests long term team building. But this has not succeeded for over a decade due to the lack of an experienced head to instill proper discipline and guidance when things go awry.
Sri Lanka may have escaped a horrific start to their campaign, but luck is not a guaranteed given in the games ahead.
In the other games, Pakistan were tested in their game against Netherlands before winning by three wickets with three balls to spare.
England also received a scare before snatching a 4 run win over lowly Nepal, while India and West Indies coasted to victory in their games.
