Ireland vs Sri Lanka has only transpired twice in the history of T20I cricket, but the Super 12 stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup will feature this clash on Sunday, October 23. The contest might not have too many eyes on it ahead of the India vs Pakistan blockbuster hours later, though.
Ireland faced Sri Lanka in the first round of last year's T20 World Cup, with the latter registering a whopping 70-run win and sealing their place in the Super 12 as a result. The Irish put up a fight, reducing Sri Lanka to 8/3 in the first two overs, but Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga put together a match-winning partnership for the fourth wicket.
Hasaranga scored 71 on that occasion and hasn't scored more than 36 in any subsequent T20I knocks. The Sri Lanka bowling continues to wear a similar look to the one that scalped all 10 Ireland wickets for barely three digits, although Dushmantha Chameera is out of commission with an ankle injury.
The Lankans were made to work for their place in the Super 12 after their initial defeat to Namibia and will be well aware of the pitfalls of complacency. Ireland, on the other hand, have quietly gone about their business in the T20 World Cup thus far and will want to upset the bigger teams on the big stage.
Ireland vs Sri Lanka Match Prediction T20 World Cup 2022
Ireland desperately waited for Paul Stirling to find his bearings at the top of the order, and the opener finally delivered against the West Indies under pressure by smacking an unbeaten 66 in a successful run-chase. He had support from captain Andy Balbirnie as well, lending weight to the hope that the screws in the Irish batting are slowly turning.
Harry Tector is yet to deliver in the T20 World Cup, but the likes of Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell have come up with significant contributions. Ireland definitely have one of the best batting lineups of teams ranked outside the top 10 in T20I cricket, with several good players to spin to face up against Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, were boosted by their openers getting stuck in during the first round. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis played key roles in the two games the Lions won, with the middle order yet to truly find their feet in the tournament. Gareth Delany's three-wicket burst in the previous game improved Ireland's middle-overs control, something they will be keen to exercise on Sunday.
Ireland are really coming together as a unit and are undoubtedly one of the teams most likely to stage an upset or two in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup. But the Asia Cup champions are the clear favorites for the contest given the plethora of match-winners at their disposal and should be able to make a positive start to the round.
Prediction: Sri Lanka to win Match 3 of the Super 12 stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup
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