Facing a challenging yet eminently achievable target of 220 for victory in the first of two matches in the RSA Insurance one day Challenge series at Clontarf today, Ireland subsided to defeat by 79 runs against Sri Lanka.
The early loss of Paul Stirling for four and Ed Joyce for nought set the run chase back but a partnership of 58 between William Porterfield and Niall O’Brien put the home team back on course for victory. However the introduction of mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis was the catalyst that put Sri Lanka in control of the match and led to the comprehensive win. With the second ball of the nineteenth over he deceived O’Brien who was given out LBW for a well-made 33 off 39 balls which included 5 fours. This sparked a loss of a further three wickets within the next five overs while just eleven more runs were added. Gary Wilson was run out for 3 following a mix up with Porterfield and then Kevin O’Brien fell first ball mistiming a pull shot off opening bowler Lakmal. In the next over Stuart Thompson played back to Mendis and was plumb LBW.
Porterfield became Mendis third victim when he also mistimed a slog sweep and Perera took the catch at mid-wicket with the score on 86. The Ireland skipper top scored for his team with 37 but he consumed 87 balls hitting 5 fours. Alex Cusack had his stumps rearranged by Lakmal with Ireland still three runs short of a hundred and although Max Sorensen and George Dockrell added 28 for the ninth wicket-which was the second highest stand of the innings- the game was long gone from Ireland by this stage.
Sri Lankan fans in Clontarf today ©INPHO/Presseye/Rowland White
And when Tim Murtagh became the fourth LBW victim of the innings the match concluded one ball less than forty overs and the score on 140. Mendis was named as the deserved Man of the Match as he produced the excellent figures of 3 for 27 from ten overs and generally bamboozled the batsmen. Suranga Lakmal with 3 for 29 and Nuwan Kularsekera 2 for 30 were the main support to Mendis.
Earlier on a sunny but bitterly cold morning in Clontarf, Ireland won the toss and put Sri Lanka into bat. Andrew Poynter and Andy O’Brien were omitted from the original squad of thirteen while Sri Lanka named the best eleven available to them for the Irish leg of their tour. A largely disciplined bowling display, led by Tim Murtagh restricted the T20 World champions to 219 for 8 wickets. Murtagh finished with impressive analysis of 2 for 21 from his full quota of 10 overs. He had got the team of to a great start when in induced an edge from Perera off the fourth ball of the innings, which was snapped up by a sharp catch from Kevin O’Brien. Several batsmen got starts but could not continue on to play a decisive innings as the Ireland bowlers took wickets at regular intervals. Chandimal was looking comfortable when, on 39, he fell to a one handed return catch by Kevin O’Brien while Priyanjana made a fluent 31 until he picked out Ed Joyce at long on who dived forward to take a good catch off Dockrell’s bowling. Sri Lanka’s top scorer was all- rounder Nuwan Kulasekera who made 42 not out off 34 deliveries and apart from 3 fours also hit the only two sixes in the match.
Thompson, Cusack, Dockrell, Stirling and Kevin O’Brien each chipped in with a wicket apiece while a fine throw from Niall O’Brien hit the stumps directly to run out the opposition’s skipper, Angelo Mathews for 30. Ireland will be disappointed that Sri Lanka reached 219 as the familiar problem with the death bowling surfaced again as the tail-end batters plundered 43 runs off the last 22 balls of the innings and indeed that ninth wicket stand was the highest of the innings.
So Ireland are forced to wait at least another two days to claim that long awaited first home win against a Full Member. Yet again an achievable target proved to be beyond their reach and this was their lowest ever ODI score in Clontarf.
Action resumes here again on Thursday at 10.45 am but Ireland need to find a method of dealing with the wiles of Mendis if they are going to get a different outcome.
