Ireland vs Sri Lanka Archives

Karunaratne, Madushka hit tons as Sri Lanka pile on runs

GALLE: Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka both hit centuries as they amassed a record Sri Lankan opening stand in Galle of 228 in the second Test against Ireland on Wednesday.

The hosts were 357 for one at the close, still 135 runs behind but with nine wickets in hand.

Madushka was unbeaten on 149 at stumps, alongside Kusal Mendis, approaching a century of his own on 83, after Karunaratne departed for 115 — the only wicket to fall on the third day of the match.

The first Test ended inside three days with Sri Lanka’s spinners dominating, but the pitch in the second encounter has offered the spinners little assistance and the batsmen dominated proceedings.

Captain Karunaratne reached the 16th century of his test career, and his second consecutive ton, in just 116 balls.

But the left-hander mistimed a pull shot off Curtis Campher and was caught at deep fine leg in the last over before lunch, two balls after he was hit on the helmet.

Madushka had already brought up his maiden Test century, pulling a Harry Tector full toss for six.

Their 228 was a record Sri Lankan opening partnership at the ground, eclipsing the 193 between Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya against South Africa in 2000.

Mendis and Madushka continued the run-fest, with the number three racing to his 83 off 96 balls with seven fours and five sixes, including three in a row off debutant left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys, who was rapidly taken out of the attack.

Bad light interrupted play before tea, before the rains came down and it was called off for the day.

The prospect of a draw loomed large but Sri Lanka batting coach Naveed Nawaz insisted his side could still win the game “although rain has played havoc”.

“There’s a total of 180 overs left in the game now,” he told reporters. “If we bat for another 90 overs, we’ll be able to take a decent lead as our deficit is now only 135.

“We have wickets in hand and this is still a good batting pitch.”

Play will resume 15 minutes early on the final two days to make up for lost time.

Sri Lanka lead the two-match series 1-0.

Ireland fast bowling coach Ryan Eagleson conceded his team’s bowlers “are still learning and are less experienced in Test cricket”.

“So you have got to give them time and be patient,” he said.

Sri Lanka thrash Ireland by an innings and 280 runs in first Test

GALLE: Sri Lanka thrashed Ireland by an innings and 280 runs on Tuesday, in one of the biggest winning margins in Test history and the largest by the South Asian nation.

In what was also Ireland’s biggest defeat to date, the visitors were all out for 168 on day three in a hot and humid Galle International Stadium.

It was the 12th-largest innings victory in Test history, behind England’s win over the West Indies in 2007 by an innings and 283 runs.

Sri Lanka’s previous biggest win was when they hammered Zimbabwe by an innings and 254 runs in 2004 in Bulawayo.

Sri Lanka in their first innings declared on a mammoth 591 for 6.

Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne top scored with 179 runs while Kusal Mendis posted 140. Dinesh Chandimal and Sadeera Samarawickrama then hit unbeaten hundreds.

Sri Lanka then bowled out Ireland for 143 and enforced the follow-on, finishing the job just after tea on day three.

Prabath Jayasuriya took three wickets in Ireland’s second innings, adding to his seven in the first innings.

Ireland’s Harry Tector top-scored for the visitors in the second innings with 42.

Ireland have now lost all five of their matches since securing Test status in 2017.

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Spinners, Mendis power Sri Lanka to thump Ireland in T20 WC

HOBART: Sri Lankan spinners stormed through the batting line to restrict Ireland to 128/8 before Kusal Mendis’ magnificent knock of 86 propelled Sri Lanka to their first Super 12 victory of the ICC men’s T20 World Cup, here on Sunday.

Set to chase 129, Sri Lanka eased through to victory in just 15 Overs with nine wickets to spare, thanks to a brilliant knock of Mendis up the order.

The right-handed batter scored an unbeaten 68 off just 43 deliveries, laced with five boundaries and three sixes.

The right-handed batter stitched two important partnerships with his fellow opener Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka respectively.

Opener de Silva fell in the ninth over to Gareth Delany after scoring 31 off 25 deliveries.

Sri Lanka’s No.3 Asalanka then batted sensibly with Mendis and put on a match-winning 70-run partnership with Mendis.

The left-handed batter scored 31 off 22 deliveries with the help of two boundaries.

Ireland, batting first, endured an early attack from the Sri Lankan spinners as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals, which halted them from amassing a big total.

Opening batter Paul Stirling put on a brief fight in the early phase of the innings as he played a brilliant knock of 34 off 25. He smashed four boundaries and a six before falling to Dhananjaya de Silva in the ninth over.

Amid his vital knock, Stirling partnered briefly with Harry Tector for the third wicket and added 29 runs.

Following Stirling’s dismissal, Tector held his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking singlehandedly when wickets were tumbling at the other end.

Binura Fernando then put on an end to Tector’s valiant knock in the 17th over, who walked back in disgust despite top scoring for the side with a gritty knock of 45 in 42. His inning featured two boundaries and a six.

The rest of the Irish batters had no answers to the Sri Lankan bowling attack and could amass 128/8 in their quota of 20 Overs.

Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva bagged two wickets each, while Dhananjaya de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara and Fernando struck out a batter each.