Lakshan, Mendis steer Sri Lanka to seven-wicket win
Dhananjaya Lakshan's 120-ball 101 and captain Kamindu Mendis all-round show took Sri Lanka to a win over Ireland in their opening match
ESPNcricinfo staff
14-Jan-2018
Sri Lanka Under-19s 208 for 3 (Lakshan 101*, Mendis 74*, Cawley 2-26) beat Ireland Under-19s 207 for 8 (Grassi 75, Mendis 3-35) by seven wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Dhananjaya Lakshan's 120-ball 101 and captain Kamindu Mendis' all-round show took Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket win over Ireland in the rain-reduced 48-over Under-19 World Cup match in Whangarei.
Electing to bat, Ireland were off to a strong start, with openers Jamie Grassi (75 off 117 balls) and Mark Donegan (36 off 53 balls) adding 73 runs, before Mendis (3 for 35) broke their partnership in the 20th over. A collapse followed, with no one from No. 3 onward making more than 25.
In reply, Sri Lanka were reduced to 9 for 2 within four overs, but a subsequent 42-run stand between opener Lakshan and Krishan Arachchige resurrected their chase. Mendis (74 off 73 balls) then joined Lakshan at the crease, to add 157 runs off 154 balls to take Sri Lanka home. Not only was their partnership match-winning, it was the highest fourth-wicket stand for the team in Under-19 ODIs.