• Sri Lanka defeated Ireland by 70 runs to qualify for Super 12 stage.

  • Wanindu Hasaranga was named 'Player of the Match' for his all-round performance.

T20 World Cup 2021: Twitter erupts as Sri Lanka thrash Ireland to qualify for Super 12 stage
Sri Lanka beat Ireland in T20 World Cup 2021 (Image Source: Twitter)

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Sri Lanka defeated Ireland by 70 runs at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi to become the first team to qualify for the Super 12 stage in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 on Wednesday.

Chasing the massive target of 172, Ireland didn’t start well as the experienced opening duo of Kevin O Brien (5), and Paul Stirling (7) were dismissed early. Soon, Gareth Delany (2) also lost his wicket as the Irish side were reduced to 32/3 in 4.2 overs.

Then, captain Andrew Balbirnie and all-rounder Curtis Campher tried to calm things down. The pair added a vital partnership of 53 runs to stabilise the innings before Maheesh Theekshana broke the stand by removing Campher for 24.

The dismissal of Campher opened floodgates as Ireland were bundled out for 101, to lose the contest by a huge margin of 70 runs. Theekshana ended up picking three scalps for 17 runs in his quota of 4 overs. Similarly, Chamika Karunaratne (2/27) and Lahiru Kumara (2/22) bagged two wickets each.

Earlier, Sri Lanka had a terrible start losing three wickets for just 8 runs in 1.4 overs. Then, opener Pathum Nissanka and all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga took charge to take the Islanders out of trouble. The pair put together a much-needed stand of 123 runs for the fourth wicket.

Both the batters smashed respective half-centuries to bring back Sri Lanka into the game. While Nissanka scored 61 runs off 47 balls, Hasaranga top-scored with 71 from 47 deliveries with the help of 11 boundaries.

Captain Dasun Shanaka chipped in with an unbeaten 21 to help Sri Lanka post 171/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

For the Irish side, Joshua Little was their most successful bowler. The left-armer picked up a four-wicket haul while giving away 23 runs in his quota of 4 overs. Apart from Little, Mark Adair bagged a couple of scalps, and Stirling took one wicket.

Here is how Twitter reacted:

https://twitter.com/DinukaNirmal/status/1450879847614484484

https://twitter.com/KandyLPL/status/1450878854864809992

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