133/1 (15.0)
CR : 8.87
128/8 (20.0)
CR : 6.40
Sri Lanka won by 9 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Kusal Mendis
68(43)
14.5
0
S Singh to K Mendis
Short and outside the off. Mendis cuts it to the man at backward point.
14.6
6
S Singh to K Mendis
SIXXX!!! That is it! Sri Lanka win by 9 wickets as they thrash their counterparts with five overs remaining! Fuller-length middle stump. Mendis sits down on one knee and hammers a slog sweep over the deep square leg fence for a massive six.
Over 15
Sri Lanka 133/1
Kusal Mendis68(43)
Charith Asalanka31(22)
Simi Singh0-20(2.0)
And what a way to bring the victory. Kusal Mendis takes Sri Lanka past the finishing line with a big six. Kusal Mendis has brought up 1000 T20I runs and was unbeaten till the end to continue Sri Lanka's winning momentum. Sri Lanka was calculative in their chase and kept the scoreboard ticking in the initial half.
Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva garnered 50 runs in the powerplay and the latter got out in the 9th over. Charith Asalanka made sure that they counter well and take Sri Lanka towards the margin of triumph.
Earlier in the game, Ireland had won the toss and elected to bat first. Ireland Skipper Andrew Balbirnie was the first one to depart while trying to play an unnecessary dancy shot. They also lost Lorcan Tucker early in the innings, and were in trouble until the last over of powerplay where Chamika Karunaratne took some smoking. The run rate went down as the spinners and pacers controlled the run flow quite well. Harry Tector scored 45 runs from 42 balls and the others couldn't support him well. Ireland ended up getting to the 128 runs mark in 20 overs.
Sri Lanka starts the group stages on good terms and wins with 9 wickets in hand. This will also help them in getting a good run rate.
Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva garnered 50 runs in the powerplay and the latter got out in the 9th over. Charith Asalanka made sure that they counter well and take Sri Lanka towards the margin of triumph.
Earlier in the game, Ireland had won the toss and elected to bat first. Ireland Skipper Andrew Balbirnie was the first one to depart while trying to play an unnecessary dancy shot. They also lost Lorcan Tucker early in the innings, and were in trouble until the last over of powerplay where Chamika Karunaratne took some smoking. The run rate went down as the spinners and pacers controlled the run flow quite well. Harry Tector scored 45 runs from 42 balls and the others couldn't support him well. Ireland ended up getting to the 128 runs mark in 20 overs.
Sri Lanka starts the group stages on good terms and wins with 9 wickets in hand. This will also help them in getting a good run rate.
And what a way to bring the victory. Kusal Mendis takes Sri Lanka past the finishing line with a big six. Kusal Mendis has brought up 1000 T20I runs and was unbeaten till the end to continue Sri Lanka's winning momentum. Sri Lanka was calculative in their chase, and kept the scoreboard ticking in the initial half. Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva garnered 50 runs in the powerplay and the latter got out in the 9th over. After the dismissal of de Silva, Asalanka and Mendis cruised through with an unbeaten 70-run stand. Mendis completed his fifty and also finished the match later with a six over square leg as they won it by 9 wickets with five overs remaninig.
Earlier in the game, Ireland had won the toss and elected to bat first. Ireland Skipper Andrew Balbirnie was the first one to depart, while trying to play an unnecessary dancy shot. They also lost Lorcan Tucker early in the innings, and were in trouble until the last over of powerplay, where Chamika Karunaratne took some smoking. The run rate went down as the spinners and pacers controlled the run flow quite well. Harry Tector scored 45 runs from 42 balls and the others couldn't support him well. Ireland ended up getting to the 128 runs mark in 20 overs.
Kusal Mendis is the player of the match.
Kusal Mendis: "The bowlers did an excellent job of limiting them to a low score, and I simply played my game. I was only told to play the first 6 overs and then continue; the goal was to last 10 overs, but we were chasing a low score. We wanted to win in 17 overs, and Charith (Asalanka) advised me not to put too much pressure on myself. (Expresses gratitude to the audience in his native language)."
Andrew Balbirnie | Ireland Captain: "We knew that Sri Lanka are a great threat. It is a challenge playing them. There wasn't much spin, but it was enough to make the stumps and bat work. We hoped to get around 160 or so. We knew they had a spin threat on a used wicket, but you have to bat well - first or second. Tector is one of our best players; he's had a fantastic season and is an important part of our middle order. (MCG next game) Many of us would not have played in such an unfamiliar stadium. We haven't played England in about 11 years, so this is very exciting."
Dasun Shanaka | Sri Lanka Captain: "We were very pleased with how we performed. That's the type of cricket we'd like to play. (Use of spinners) We knew spinners would be important in this game. In this game, we used the spinners tactically late in the game. (Mendis' back-to-back fifties) He is mostly consistent and plays according to the situation. That is what he has improved - high-level batting. We now have that luxury. Death bowling is our main focus, and getting off to a good start is crucial. I want to keep that confidence."
That is it from this match. Now the focus shifts towards the big match, India vs Pakistan. For now, this is your guy, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Arijit Kundu and scorer/analyst Paras Yadav, who brought you all the live action of this mouth-watering fixture.