CricketEurope reports:

IRELAND BEATEN BY SRI LANKA IN OPENING ODI

SRI LANKA have drawn first blood in the first of their two-match KPC Group ODI series against Ireland after Angelo Matthews’ men posted a 76-run (DLS) verdict at a rather damp Malahide on Thursday. The win came courtesy of a superb unbeaten century from Dinesh Chandimal and a five-wicket haul for ODI debutant, Dasun Shanaka. Ahead of the game the hosts’ Head Coach, John Bracewell, gave a nod to John Anderson after his scintillating start to the season at domestic level and also handed an International debut to bowler, Barry McCarthy.

Skipper, William Porterfield asked the visitors to have a bat on winning the toss, but Ireland were unable to split openers Kusal Perera and Danushka Gunathilaka early on until skipper William Porterfield brought McCarthy into the attack to replace Boyd Rankin. The Durham man had Gunathilaka caught by Paul Stirling at slip from just his second delivery and then followed that up a couple of overs later by deceiving Perera (32) with a slower one that the batsman sent straight back to him.

An 82-run stand between Chandimal and Kusal Mendis got Sri Lanka back on track- Mendis making 51 (7 fours) before being caught and bowled by Kevin O'Brien. Skipper Angelo Matthews joined Chandimal at that point and Ireland's bowlers continued to toil as this pair added another 88 before Matthews fell to Max Sorensen for 49.

New man Shanaka introduced himself by plundering 26 off Sorensen's next as the visitors upped the ante in the closing overs; however his 19-ball 42 was ended by a Rankin yorker. The same bowler accounted for Seekkuge Prasanna a couple of balls later but Chandimal was proving much more resilient; going to his unbeaten century just two balls from the end.

The final total was 303 for 7 as Ireland managed to stay competitive late on- Rankin (2-45) and McCarthy (2-69) the pick of the home bowlers. The reply started well with Porterfield and Stirling putting on 53 before the latter was dismissed by Shanaka for 27 (4 fours). The same bowler accounted for both Ed Joyce (9) and then Anderson (7), however the skipper continued to stand firm.

A 68-run partnership between him and Kevin O’Brien got Ireland up to 159 but with the rain around and the asking rate climbing, Porterfield mistimed a drive and was caught by Perera off Shaminda Eranga for 72 (7 fours). Weather sent the teams off soon after and when they returned the target was 293 in 47- a tall order of 129 runs in little more than 14 overs.

That meant Ireland needed to pick up the pace and although O’Brien went past 50 soon after the re-start, Shanaka claimed his 4th wicket as he bowled Stuart Poynter for 20. Gary Wilson was trapped lbw by Matthews before O’Brien’s fine effort ended in similar fashion to Pradeep- the all-rounder’s 64 (6 fours, 3 sixes) not quite enough to dig his team out of trouble.

Shanaka (5-43) was on the mark one more time as Ireland fell away to be eventually all out for 218, leaving Porterfield with it all to do to level the series on Saturday.

Ian Callender, (Belfast Telegraph) reports

A 24-year-old debutant stole the show at Malahide but it was a Sri Lankan rather than an Irishman who proved the difference between the teams. Barry McCarthy received his first cap from John Mooney before the match but it was Dasun Shanaka who ended Ireland’s hopes of a first one-day international victory in Dublin with five wickets and a whirlwind 42 from just 19 balls.

His runs helped Sri Lanka through the 300 barrier – 30 runs more than Ireland captain William Porterfield felt was a par total – and he then dismissed Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce in his first 13 balls to put Ireland under immediate pressure. John Anderson was given his first game against a Full Member nation, but the in-form Merrion batsman was Shanaka’s next victim for just seven and although Kevin O’Brien enjoyed no fewer than four lives in his 49-ball innings, he couldn’t take full advantage and was leg before for 64.

The tail folded quietly with Gary Wilson’s poor run of form continuing and McCarthy left waiting for his first international run as Ireland fell 76 runs short of their revised target of 293, after rain reduced their innings to 47 overs. Wilson was back behind the stumps in the absence of Niall O’Brien and both spinners, George Dockrell and Andy McBrine were left out on the green pitch. Sri Lanka, normally so proficient in slow bowling, followed suit and played only one spinner but they had more than enough class in the seam department to see off Ireland.

Porterfield played the best innings of the day for his side scoring 73 with just seven boundaries but, as he admitted afterwards his dismissal, 11 balls before the rain-break, was crucial. Had he been there on the resumption, when Ireland needed 129 from 87 balls, it might have been different. Instead, they collapsed from 198 for four to 216 all out.

Either side of Shanaka’s late heroics with the bat, Dinish Chandimal was the star performer with the wicket-keeper batsman scoring his first ODI hundred for five years, from 107 balls. McCarthy, brought on as first change, enjoyed a dream start with the ball, making Ireland’s breakthrough with his second delivery and following up with a second wicket five balls later. But that was as good as it got and when Sri Lanka’s other ODI debutant, Kusal Mendis hit him for four successive fours he quickly learned the other side of international cricket.

Tim Murtagh and Boyd Rankin disappointed with the new ball in helpful conditions after Ireland had won the toss but Rankin, in his first ODI for Ireland on home soil for five years, came back well and finished with the best figures. Kevin O’Brien was the pick of the rest of the attack but with the support lacking, the innings ran away from Ireland who can only return tomorrow to try and level the two-match series.

CricketEurope and Ian Callender (Belfast Telegraph)