Openers pathum nissanka

T20 World Cup: Wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis struck an unbeaten 56 off 43 balls as Sri Lanka posted an above-par 163/6 in their 20 overs against Ireland in a Group B clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.

Inserted into batting first, Sri Lanka were in trouble at 87/4 after 14 overs, but Kusal and Kamindu Mendis, who hit 44 off just 19 balls, stitched a 67-run stand off 29 balls to lift the hosts past 160. The duo’s late assault turned the innings around for the tournament co-hosts after a barren middle-overs phase where Ireland’s spinners kept the choke on and didn’t concede a single boundary.

It meant Sri Lanka managed 60 runs in the last four overs, with Kamindu capitalising on dropped catches and loose bowling. Humphreys and McCarthy conceded 21 and 19 runs respectively as Ireland lost control at the back end of the innings.