Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, spinners script Sri Lanka's win

Catches win matches. Ireland dropped seven, of varying difficulty, and that proved to be a major factor in their 20-run loss to Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium.

Sent in, Sri Lanka started briskly but the Ireland spinners George Dockrell and Gareth Delany handcuffed them in the middle overs. After 16 overs, they were on 104 for 4. That they could add another 59 to finish on a competitive 163 for 6 was down to Ireland's sloppy fielding.

Kamindu Mendis was dropped on 14; he went on to smash 44 off 19 balls. Kusal Mendis was first put down on 34; he finished on 56 not out off 43. The pair added 67 off 30 balls for the fifth wicket to inject the much-needed momentum.

Ireland made a solid start to their chase, reaching 52 for 1 in seven overs. But Wanindu Hasaranga, who had hurt his hamstring after sending down just two balls, derailed them. Bowling with hardly any follow-through, he picked up 3 for 25 from his four overs. Maheesh Theekshana also took three, hastening the end as Ireland were bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs.

Earlier, Kamil Mishara barely looked assured during his brief stay. In the third over, he hit one uppishly back towards Barry McCarthy but the bowler had little time to react. In the same over, he was dropped by Ross Adair at short midwicket. But Mishara failed to make it count. In the following over, he was caught at mid-off off a slower delivery from Mark Adair. Kusal started briskly, hitting three fours in his first eight balls to take Sri Lanka to 50 for 1 by the end of the powerplay.

After the powerplay, Ireland deployed spin from both ends. That put the brakes on the scoring rate. Pathum Nissanka went for the cut against Dockrell and was caught at extra cover. Pavan Rathnayake tried to upper-cut the spinner, only for the ball to hit the middle stump. That left Sri Lanka on 68 for 3 in the 11th over.

Such was the stranglehold of the Ireland spinners that Sri Lanka couldn't hit a boundary for 56 balls after the powerplay. All told, Ireland bowled 13 overs of spin, the most by them in a T20I.

Kamindu ended the boundary drought in the 16th over when he reverse-swept Delany for four over backward point. After that, Ireland made one fielding mistake after another to cede the advantage. In the 17th over, bowled by Matthew Humphreys, Kusal was reprieved twice and Kamindu once. The Kamindu chance at long-off went for six. To rub it in, he hit the next two balls for four, making it a 21-run over.

There was another drop in the following over, with Ross Adair putting down Kusal off Mark Adair at deep square leg. The wheels completely came off in the 19th. McCarthy started with a beamer down the leg side, which Kamindu put away for four. When the free hit arrived after two wides, Kamindu pulled it for a six. McCarthy did send back Kamindu and Dasun Shanaka off successive balls but ended up conceding 19 from the over. Lasting 11 balls, it was the joint-longest over in the T20 World Cup history. Kusal, who largely played second fiddle to Kamindu, brought up his half-century in the final over.

Theekshana provided Sri Lanka with an early breakthrough, yorking Paul Stirling for 6, but Ross Adair and Harry Tector kept Ireland going. Then came what looked like the big moment of the match. After bowling just two balls, Hasaranga seemed to have hurt his hamstring. After the physio had a look, Hasaranga decided to continue. However, his run-up lacked follow-through and his deliveries zip. But he was still too good for the Ireland batters. With his last ball of the over, he castled Ross Adair and walked off the field for a couple of overs.

Ross Adair's wicket helped Sri Lanka control the scoring rate. Tector and Lorcan Tucker did add 49 for the third wicket but took 38 balls for it. In the last six overs, Ireland needed 60. While they had Tector and Tucker in the middle, the Khettarama pitch had slowed down further. Tucker tried to take on Dunith Wellalage but holed out to long-on. He made 21 off 18.

From the other end, Hasaranga had Tector caught at deep midwicket. Tector hit just one four in his 34-ball 40. That left Ireland needing 47 from four overs. But the incoming batters stood no chance against Theekshana's wizardry. Ben Calitz charged at him. But the bowler slipped in an offbreak to leave him stranded halfway down the pitch. Kusal pulled off an easy stumping. With his next delivery, a carrom ball, Theekshana had Gareth Delany caught at short third.

In the 18th over, Hasaranga had Curtis Campher caught at long-off to put the result beyond doubt.