By Srian Obeyesekere

Sri Lanka, led by Dasun Shanaka, will be all keyed to fronting their 2026 ICC T20 World Cup campaign in ideally sub continent conditions an iron hard insulation of head to head three wins against Ireland, led by Paul Stirling, in the sixth match of the ICC showpiece where the hosts will seek to maximising their strong clout of their spinners led by leg spin wizard Wanindu Hasaranga on a favourable turning track at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo today.
Sri Lanka has beaten Ireland in the 2009, 2021, and 2022 World Cup editions.

Ireland, on the other hand, will be looking for an upset banking on a strong batting force in a tournament that got underway with both of yesterday’s world cup games witnessing flutters of reigning odd on favourites India shaken by little known USA to scraping through in Mumbai, and Pakistan here in Sri Lanka, scared by minnows the Netherlands to wriggling out by a late order flurry at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club Grounds, baptised in its historic maiden hosting of an international game under floodlights.
The Lankans will of course, be keen to shrug off two successive series defeats in the format to Pakistan and England, the last fresh in their nostrils just a week ago of a bruising Harry Brooks driven batting mayhem and beaten at their own game by a superior spin dragnet driven by the twosome of Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson at the same venue where they will be mounting their world Cup campaign today. A clue that the Irish will be looking at to unsettling the former world champions of 2012.

But Ireland’s potential top order will have to top the Lankans spin threat if they are to make a difference in shifting a past hollow against the hosts. They would be mindful of lynchpin Wanindu Hasaranga’s all-round 71 off 47 and 1 wicket world cup ma 70-run stomping at the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as Josh Little’s career-best T20I figures of 4-23 came to naught.

Of course, the Irish will be banking for Josh, more muscled in the game five years hence to do an England over the Lankans, come this 10th world cup.

Sri Lanka, for their part have reinforced by recalling world cricket’s fastest man to 1000 runs in Kamindu Mendis for Dhananjaya de Silva in few reshuffles to unleashing themselves in the game’s most absorbing action packed format essentially dictated by the wondrous innovations of the bat the art has undergone by the game’s highly sophisticated demands .

SQUADS
Sri Lanka
Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Eshan Malinga.

Ireland
⁠Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.