Sri Lanka (163-7) (Kusal Mendis 56; George Dockrell 2-17) beat Ireland (143 all out) (Harry Tector 40; Wanindu Hasarang 3-25) by 20 runs.
A sporting sight is something to behold when it serves as a red rag to a bullish home faithful. On Thursday, it was the red dome of Louis Bielle-Biarrey spurring Parisian cries with every touch.
A round ball comparison would be Vinicius jnr dancing on to his right foot, or Arjen Robben cutting on to his left. Everyone knows what comes next. For a split second, we can see the future.
On Sunday evening in Colombo, the sight of an Irish fielder camped under a ball launched skywards by a Sri Lankan earned this status. Up it goes. With it the decibel level from a frenetic crowd baying for Irish embarrassment. More often than not, they got their wish.
Seven times Irish players failed to hold on to a catch, turning a potentially match-winning position into a familiar tale of underdog woe against a side they have never beaten. After the Irish spinners had bowled their side into what should have been a at least a competitive position, if not an unassailable one, this was a particularly galling defeat.
George Dockrell continued his T20 bowling resurgence, taking two wickets in quick succession through variations in speed and line. Matthew Humphreys looked solid with the new ball while Gareth Delany and Harry Tector both played their role in suppressing Sri Lanka’s scoring.
On a slow, turning surface, Ireland wreaked the damage on their hosts which those glad in green were supposed to endure. It took Sri Lanka until the 16th over to bring up their 100. Just 17 balls later, they reached 150. All that impressive planning, meticulous execution; up in smoke.
Ireland’s George Dockrell drops a catch of Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis. Photograph: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP via Getty
The bloodbath commenced when Humphreys took the ball in the 17th. In one measly over, three times the ball was sent towards Irish fielders. All three chances hit the deck, Curtis Campher, Barry McCarthy and Dockrell badly misjudging their attempts.
Either side of that six-ball spell from hell, Ross Adair added a pair of drops to go with his brother, Mark, and Barry McCarthy spilling difficult chances off their own bowling. Kusal Mendis, who top-scored with 56, was put down three times.
McCarthy’s struggles with the wet ball only advanced the rot. Sri Lanka’s total of 163 was a good 20 runs more than it should have been.
Not that Ireland made a hames of the chase. Ross Adair bludgeoned his way to 34. Harry Tector (40) and Lorcan Tucker (21) braved humidity and cramping hamstrings to keep the game close. Yet their dismissals in quick succession proved fatal.
On a big ground against a crafty attack, Ireland’s lengthy batting line-up folded in the necessary pursuit of power. Still, a brutal performance in the field was the greater sin.
Ireland were in a winning position against a major nation at their home World Cup. They acted like a side unfamiliar with such heady heights.