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Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, spinners script Sri Lanka’s win

Published

2 months ago

2026/02/9

Priyan

Kusal Mendis was off the blocks quickly (Cricinfo)

Sri Lanka 163 for 6 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 24, Kamil Mishara

Catches win matches. Ireland dropped seven, of varying difficulty, and that proved to be a major factor in their 20-run loss to Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium.

Sent in, Sri Lanka started briskly but the Ireland spinners George Dockrell and Gareth Delany, handcuffed them in the middle overs. After 16 overs, they were on 104 for 4. That they could add another 59 to finish on a competitive 163 for 6 was down to Ireland’s sloppy fielding.

Kamindu Mendis was dropped on 14; he went on to smash 44 off 19 balls. Kusal Mendis was first put down on 34; he finished on 56 not out off 43. The pair added 67 off 30 balls for the fifth wicket to inject the much-needed momentum.

Ireland made a solid start to their chase, reaching 52 for 1 in seven overs. But Wanidu Hasaranga, who had hurt his hamstring after sending down just two balls, derailed them. Bowling with hardly any follow-through, he picked up 3 for 25 from his four overs. Maheesh Theekshana also took three, hastening the end as Ireland were bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs.

Earlier, Kamil Mishara barely looked assured during his brief stay. In the third over, he hit one uppishly back towards Barry McCarthy but the bowler had little time to react. In the same over, he was dropped by Ross Adair at short midwicket. But Mishara failed to make it count. In the following over, he was caught at mid-off off a slower delivery from Mark Adair. Kusal started briskly, hitting three fours in his first eight balls to take Sri Lanka to 50 for 1 by the end of the powerplay.

After the powerplay, Ireland deployed spin from both ends. That put the brakes on the scoring rate. Pathum Nissanka went for the cut against Dockrell and was caught at extra cover. Pavan Rathnayake tried to upper-cut the spinner, only for the ball to hit the middle stump. That left Sri Lanka on 68 for 3 in the 11th over.

Such was the stranglehold of the Ireland spinners that Sri Lanka couldn’t hit a boundary for 56 balls after the powerplay. All told, Ireland bowled 13 overs of spin, the most by them in a T20I.

Kamindu ended the boundary drought in the 16th over when he reverse-swept Delany for four over backward point. After that, Ireland made one fielding mistake after another to cede the advantage. In the 17th over, bowled by Matthew Humphreys, Kusal was reprieved twice and Kamindu once. The Kamindu chance at long-off went for six. To rub it in, he hit the next two balls for four, making it a 21-run over.

There was another drop in the following over, with Ross Adair putting down Kusal off Mark Adair at deep square leg. The wheels completely came off in the 19th. McCarthy started with a beamer down the leg side, which Kamindu put away for four. When the free hit arrived after two wides, Kamindu pulled it for a six. McCarthy did send back Kamindu and Dasun Shanaka off successive balls but ended up conceding 19 from the over. Lasting 11 balls, it was the joint longest over in the T20 World Cup history. Kusal, who largely played second fiddle to Kamindu, brought up his half-century in the final over.

Mark Adair removed Kamil Mishara with a slower ball (Cricinfo)

Theekshana provided Sri Lanka with an early breakthrough, yorking Paul Stirling for 6, but Ross Adair and Harry Tector kept Ireland going. Then came what looked like the big moment of the match. After bowling just two balls, Hasaranga seemed to have hurt his hamstring. After the physio had a look, Hasaranga decided to continue. However, his run-up lacked follow-through and his deliveries zip. But he was still too good for the Ireland batters. With his last ball of the over, he castled Ross Adair and walked off the field for a couple of overs.

Ross Adair’s wicket helped Sri Lanka control the scoring rate. Tector and Lorcan Tucker did add 49 for the third wicket but took 38 balls for it. In the last six overs, Ireland needed 60. While they had Tector and Tucker in the middle, the Khettarama pitch had slowed down further. Tucker tried to take on Dunith Wellalage but holed out to long-on. He made 21 off 18.

From the other end, Hasaranga had Tector caught at deep midwicket. Tector hit just one four in his 34-ball 40. That left Ireland needing 47 from four overs. But the incoming batters stood no chance against Theekshana’s wizardry. Ben Calitz charged at him. But the bowler slipped in an offbreak to leave him stranded halfway down the pitch. Kusal pulled off an easy stumping. With his next delivery, a carrom ball, Theekshana had Gareth Delany caught at short third.

In the 18th over, Hasaranga had Curtis Campher caught at long-off to put the result beyond doubt.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 163 for 6 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 24, Kamil Mishara 16, Kusal Mendis 56*, Dunith Wellalage 10, Kamindu Mendis 44; Mark Adair 1-33, George Dockrell 2-17, Barry McCarthy 2-40, Gareth Delany 1-24) beat Ireland 143 in 19.5 overs (Harry Tector 40, Ross Adair 34, Lorcan Tucker 21, Curtis Campher 13, Mark Adair 10; Dushmantha Chameera 1-25, Maheesh Theekshana 3-23, Matheesha Pathirana 2-26, Dunith Wellalage 1-28, Wanidu Hasaranga 3-25) by 20 runs

(Cricinfo)

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district

Published

6 hours ago

2026/04/16

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 15 April 2026, valid for 16 April 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern
and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491

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Pakistani army chief in Tehran amid bid to restart US talks

Published

9 hours ago

2026/04/15

Priyan

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (right) receives Pakistani Army Commander Asim Munir upon his arrival in Tehran [Aljazeera]

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has landed in Iran as part of a delegation to hold high-level talks on the resumption of talks between Iran and the US.

Iran’s army has warned it will block trade through the Red Sea along with the Gulf and Sea of Oman if the US naval blockade on Iranian ports continues.

The US military says it has “completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea” as its blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continues for a second day.

US President Donald Trump says the war is “close to over” after hinting at a second round of face-to-face talks with Iran in Pakistan in the coming days.

(Aljazeera)

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Sri Lanka repatriates 238 Iranian sailors stranded after US torpedo attack

Published

9 hours ago

2026/04/15

Priyan

More than 200 Iranian sailors left stranded in Sri Lanka after a US torpedo attack are returning home after being stuck in the country for more than a month.

On Wednesday, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Defence Minister, Aruna ⁠Jayasekara, confirmed 32 sailors rescued from the Iris Dena and 206 from Irins Bushehr, had left the country.

The Iranian warship, Iris Dena, sank on 4 March about 40km (25 miles) from Sri Lanka’s southern coastline after it was hit by a torpedo from a US submarine, killing 104 sailors.

On March 5, Sri Lanka took control of the Iranian naval vessel, Irins Bushehr, after it had requested to dock at one of country’s ports after one of its engines malfunctioned.

Speaking to Reuters, ⁠Jayasekara confirmed the crew of both ships were flown out on Tuesday night.

The stranded sailors were granted 30-day entry visas by the Sri Lankan government and were housed in navy and air force camps.

The Iris Dena had been returning from a military exercise hosted by India when it was attacked.

Video released by the US Department of Defense after the incident showed a ship being struck, causing the stern to rise up before exploding.

The bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed in the attack were recovered and later repatriated in a chartered plane arranged by Iran.

Its sinking in international waters came just a few days into the current US-Israeli war with Iran and marked a dramatic widening of the conflict.

Iran has since launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East – targeting Gulf countries allied with the US.

A map showing the Arabian Sea region including Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, India, and Sri Lanka. A red label near Sri Lanka marks the location where the Iris Dena sank near Galle. The Strait of Hormuz is labelled between Iran and Oman. In the upper-right corner, an inset photo shows a grey naval ship docked at a port with cranes in the background, labelled the Iris Dena in Brazil in 2023. A small world map in the upper-left highlights the region with a red rectangle.

About 15 Iranian sailors will remain in Sri Lanka to operate the Irins Bushehr, which is anchored off Trincomalee in the northeast of the island.

Sri Lankq had allowed the Iranian vessel to dock at a north-eastern port on 5 March after hours of discussion, with its president saying they would “never hesitate to protect humanity”.

“Our position has been to safeguard our neutrality while demonstrating our humanitarian values,” President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in a statement at the time.

“[Sri Lanka] intervened in a way that demonstrated our commitment to international conventions, protecting the reputation and dignity of our country, and protecting human lives,” he said.

Sri Lanka has maintained a long-standing policy of non-alignment since it became independent in 1948.

It has strong economic and diplomatic ties with both Iran and the US.

(BBC)