It’s time to switch our attention to Group- 2 of the T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka will lock horns with Ireland for the 3rd match of this stage of the competition at the Bellerive Oval, Tasmania.
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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka suffered a big blow when Dushmantha Chameera and Danushka Gunathilaka were ruled out of the tournament.
The opening pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis has been brilliant so far. The spinners as usual have been the match-winners for the Island Nation. Their issues have been with the middle order as they have failed to step up in crucial junctures of the game.
Sri Lanka started the tournament in the worst possible way by being at the receiving end of an upset. They incurred a humiliating loss against Namibia in their opener and later came back hard by defeating UAE and Netherlands to bounce back to the top of the points table.
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Ireland
Ireland has been solid in this tournament, all the players have stood up and performed at different points in the tournament. Paul Stirling has regained his form, which is brilliant for Ireland. The top order clicked well in the last game including their skipper Andrew Balbirnie.
The lower middle has been offered strength in the earlier games and the spin department of Gareth Delany and Simi Singh has been tight as well. Mark Adair and Joshua Little have complimented each other well so far and the side looks quite well-balanced on paper.
Just like Sri Lanka, Ireland had a poor start to the World Cup. The European nation lost its first game to Zimbabwe and then won against Scotland and West Indies. The win against the West Indies was more like a virtual semi-final for them and the top-order rushed them towards the finishing line in quick time.
Match Details
Match: Sri Lanka v Ireland (15th match)
Tournament: ICC T20 World Cup 2022
Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Date & Time: 23rd October, 9:30 PM IST
Pitch Report
The pitch at Bellerive Oval in Hobart is excellent for batting. However, the spinners have also found success with the old ball. The captain winning the toss will choose to bat first and set the total and the pitch seems to slow down a touch in the second innings.
Head-to-Head
Sri Lanka and Ireland have met each other twice in T20I with the Asian nation winning both times.
Probable Playing XIs
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando
Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little
Probable Match Winner:
Sri Lanka will enter this game as favourites but Ireland has a reputation for taking down big teams in ICC events, It will be a mouth-watering contest. Sri Lanka has a 75% chance of winning tomorrow.
Read More: India v Pakistan- Match Preview
