Sri Lanka vs Ireland, ICC WCQ 2023, Today Match Prediction

sl vs ire Match Prediction & Analysis

It will be a do-or-die situation for Ireland as they face an in-form, unbeaten Sri Lanka at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. This is the same venue where Ireland lost in the last-ball thriller against Scotland in the last match.

Sri Lanka have completely outplayed their opposition in their last two matches. They bowled out Oman for just 98 runs in their last match and chased down the target in 15 Overs without losing a wicket. This was the same Oman team that defeated Ireland by 5 wickets while chasing a 282-run target in their previous game.

Sri Lanka’s bowling has been top-notch and so have their batters. Both openers, Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne have scored back to back fifties and are looking in great touch. Ireland need Mark Adair and Joshua Little, their successful bowlers so far, to deliver early breakthroughs, to put Ireland ahead in the game.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Sri Lanka Preview

It is not a great thing for a World Cup-winning team to find itself playing the Qualifiers. Sri Lanka have not only won the World Cup under Arjun Ranatunga in 1996 but have also reached the Final in 2007 and 2011.

Nevertheless, the start they’ve got to this Qualifier tournament is a very positive one and must have boosted their confidence and belief. The batters have played exactly the way you’d expect them to perform against teams like UAE and Oman.

They have looked very comfortable in playing their shots and scoring runs without any trouble. In addition to the openers, Kusal Mendis has also continued his form at number 3 while being supported by Samarawickrama who comes in at number 4.

The batting lineup looks quite deep with Asalanka, Shanaka, and Dhananjaya de Silva to follow. Sri Lanka should manage to score another 300+ total if they bat first against Ireland.  While there are some quality pacers in the opposition, considering their recent failures to defend, in addition to Sri Lanka’s current form, there should be no problem in chasing either.

Wanindu Hasaranga has picked 11 wickets in the last two matches and is the key bowler for Sri Lanka. He will trouble the Ireland batters who will be on the backfoot given the pressure they are under. 

Sri Lanka Predicted Playing XI:

Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara

Sri Lanka Actual Playing XI:

Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kasun Rajitha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dasun Shanaka, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Wanidu Hasaranga

Ireland Preview

The batters did their job pretty well in the last two games. In spite of a big collapse against Scotland where Ireland were reduced to 70-5, Curtis Campher and George Dockrell ensured a comeback and led the team to a respectable total.

Joshua Little and Mark Adair are the only bowlers who’ve been consistent for Ireland and made an impact. Dockrell looked good in the last game with his breakthroughs but overall, Ireland’s bowling efforts have failed. Failing to defend 281 against a team like Oman must have come as a big shock for Ireland.

And then to lose the very next game by 1 wicket in a last-ball thriller isn’t something they can easily recover from. The pitch conditions are brilliant for batting at the Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo. And every team that has won the toss here has opted to bowl.

Andrew Balbirnie will be hoping to win the toss and elect to bowl as that would be his best chance to save his team from elimination. Andy McBrine, Paul Stirling, and Balbirnie in the top 3 haven’t been in good touch and their lack of contributions is hurting Ireland’s batting.

There are some quality batters in the middle order like Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker who can build partnerships and will be crucial in a run chase. Their biggest challenge will be to face the in-form Wanindu Hasaranga. Ireland need to find an answer to Hasaranga or their batting would be in even deeper trouble this time.

Ireland Predicted Playing XI:

Andy McBrine, Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Joshua Little, Benjamin White

Ireland Actual Playing XI:

Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Joshua Little, Paul Stirling, Barry McCarthy, Lorcan Tucker, Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Andrew Balbirnie

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It is a great batting wicket which doesn’t change a lot during the game. Plenty of runs can be scored here in both innings and batters should be excited to go out and express themselves. The weather forecast is for a clear, sunny day in Bulawayo with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo will be the venue for this match. It is a high-scoring venue where Sri Lanka scored 355 batting first against UAE and Oman chased down a 282-run target against Ireland. We reckon a 320+ run total should be a match-winning score at this venue.

Toss: To Bowl

Teams bowling first have won two of the 3 matches played at this venue. In addition to the pitch conditions here, the team’s current form will also be the reason for the captains to consider bowling first.