SL vs IRE: Co-Host of The T20 World Cup has been put in to bat first by Irish Captain Paul Stirling
Sri Lanka, the second country that is hosting the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup along with India, will begin their campaign against Ireland in Colombo.
The Dasun Shanka-led side will desperately want to win the match to break the string of losses that they have undergone in this format of the game in the last couple of years and win the SL vs IRE game.
Ireland, on the other hand have had a mixed bag as well as far as performance in international cricket is concerned and would want to give it their all with bat, ball and in the field to come out on the right side of the result.
Coming back to Sri Lanka, the hosts are yet to find their best combination when it comes to the playing XI and are heavily reliant on the top-order batters to do the bulk of the scoring for them.
Like Sri Lanka, Ireland is also reliant on their captain and opening batter, Paul Stirling, to lead from the front.
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SL vs IRE: Captain’s Corner
Irish Captain Paul Stirling said after winning the toss that they will bowl first as the wicket looks a bit dry, meaning that the spinners will come into play. Having said that, Stirling also admitted that Ireland will have to be on top of their game in order to restrict Sri Lanka to a manageable total.
Talking about the team combination, Stirling said that the team has gone with an extra batter for this particular game
If we talk about Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lankan captain, was of the opinion that it is a good, hard wicket and anything above 170 would be a good total to defend. He was also confident about the composition of the team, which included five batters and five bowlers, despite lacklustre performances in the recent past.
SL vs IRE: Playing XI
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathiran
Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, Benjamin Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys
SL vs IRE: Nature of the Pitch
According to experts, the pitch at the R. Premadasa Stadium for the SL vs IRE game could be misleading if we go by the stats, which suggest that the team batting first dominates the game. The pitch in question is hard and dry, and 175 is predicted to be the par score, with conditions remaining more or less the same in both innings.
Also Read: T20 World Cup: New Zealand Registers Comfortable Five-Wicket Win Over Afghanistan
