Colombo, Feb 8 (PTI) Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka hailed Kamindu Mendis’ cameo as the turning point, saying he batted with such ease that it felt like he was playing on a completely different surface, after the 20-run win over Ireland in their T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday.
Kamindu blasted a 19-ball 44 after the innings was crawling, lifting the hosts to a competitive 163 for six, which Sri Lanka defended with combative spells from Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga to begin their campaign on a high.
“Well-earned victory. Very happy about the overall performance. The start was a bit of a struggle but Kusal (Mendis) held it in the end, with Kamindu Mendis’ cameo the turning point,” said Shanaka after the match.
“He (Kamindu) batted
like he was on a different wicket. Really happy with his comeback and expect a lot from him in the coming games. I expected the wicket to be flatter with the grass left on the wicket.
“Initially thought toss will play a crucial part but it helped us in the second phase — it slowed down a bit,” he added.
The skipper revealed that leg-spinner Hasaranga, who claimed three wickets, was dealing with a slight hamstring issue, but it was nothing serious.
“The confidence from the bowling unit, it carries from the last game. Wanindu got a problem with his hamstring – hopefully it will not be serious. Maheesh bowled well in the middle overs,” he added.
Player of the match Kamindu said he initially thought the wicket could yield around 170 runs, but while batting he realised that a total of 160 would be enough to defend.
“Credit goes to our bowlers. Maheesh and Chameera bowled well. We thought it would be a 170-plus wicket but when playing the spinners, it felt like a 160 or something (pitch).
“We just wanted to put 160 on the board and we just defended it. It was a good game, good start to the tournament,” he said.
Paul Stirling, Ireland’s skipper, lamented the runs his side conceded and admitted that the lack of experience showed on the field against Sri Lanka.
“To be honest, felt they got 15-20 too many. At the start of the day, we would have been happy chasing it. But you could find 20 runs almost anywhere in the match. When the match was on the line, we were not as clinical.
“A bit sloppy in the field. Experience told today. At the end, it was the difference (between us and them). They defended well at the back end. They upped the ante and put the squeeze on,” said Stirling. PTI AM AM AH AH
