ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, warm-up wrap: Sri Lanka vs Ireland, and Afghanistan vs Scotland

The warm-up matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 which started on May 27, have been going on in full swing. However, Sri Lanka vs Ireland, and Afghanistan vs Scotlan matches took place on May 31 as well.

Sri Lanka vs Ireland

Sri Lanka won by 41 runs.

The 13th warm-up match between Sri Lanka and Ireland was held at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida, on May 31. Ireland won the toss and chose to field first, putting Sri Lanka in to bat.

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Sri Lanka’s opening batters got off to a solid start but were unable to capitalize on it for a big score. After the openers were dismissed, wickets began to fall at regular intervals. However, captain Wanindu Hasaranga showcased his batting skills and built a crucial partnership with veteran Angelo Mathews. Hasaranga scored 26 runs before heading back to the dugout. Following his dismissal, Dasun Shanaka stepped up and displayed some power hitting, helping Sri Lanka post a total of 163 runs.

In the chase, skipper Paul Stirling and his opening partner Andy provided a strong start for the team. However, after losing the openers, the middle-order batters put up a tough fight against the Lankan bowlers but couldn’t maintain the required run rate. Wickets fell at regular intervals, leading to a loss for Ireland. From Sri Lanka, Dasun Shanaka delivered a brilliant bowling performance, taking 4 wickets, while skipper Hasaranga and Theekshana each claimed 2 wickets.

Top Scorer for Sri-Lanka

Wanindu Hasaranga (c)	c Little b White	26 Runs	21	3	1	123.80
Angelo Mathews	not out	32 Runs	30	1	2	106.66

Best Bowler of Ireland

Josh Little	4 Overs	45 Runs	2 Wickets
Barry McCarthy	2.4 Overs	31 Runs	2 Wickets

Top Scorer for Ireland

Curtis Campher	lbw b Theekshana	26 Runs	26	2	1	100.00
George Dockrell	b Shanaka	17 Runs	10	1	1	170.00

Best Bowler of Sri-Lanka

Maheesh Theekshana	4 Overs	14 runs	2 Wickets
Dasun Shanaka	3.2 Overs	23 runs	4 Wickets

Teams:

Sri Lanka (Batting XI, Fielding XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Wanindu Hasaranga(c), Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Dushmantha Chameera, Sadeera Samarawickrama

Ireland (Batting XI, Fielding XI): Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling(c), Ross Adair, Lorcan Tucker(w), Neil Rock, Craig Young, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Barry McCarthy, Benjamin White, Joshua Little, Gareth Delany, Graham Hume, Harry Tector, Mark Adair

Afghanistan vs Scotland

Afghanistan won the match by 55 runs.

The 14th warm-up match took place at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, on May 31. Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first, setting the stage for an intense battle.

Afghanistan’s innings started with early losses as Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran were dismissed quickly. However, Gulbadin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai steadied the ship with a formidable partnership. Gulbadin played a scintillating knock, scoring 69 runs off just 30 balls, adorned with 5 fours and 6 sixes. Azmatullah provided solid support with 48 runs off 36 balls, hitting 4 fours and 2 sixes.

Despite losing both set batsmen, Afghanistan’s innings did not falter. The middle order saw wickets fall at regular intervals, but veteran Mohammad Nabi and captain Rashid Khan showed their prowess, contributing crucial runs towards the end. Their efforts lifted Afghanistan to a total of 178 runs in 20 overs.

During the chase, George Munsey was the only batter to put up a fight and score some runs for his team, while his teammates struggled against the Afghan bowlers. In the death overs, Mark Watt and Christopher Sole made a valiant effort to turn the match in their favor, but the Afghan bowlers held their ground, taking key wickets and securing the victory.

Top Scorer of Afghanistan

Gulbadin Naib	c Berrington b Greaves	69 runs	30	5	6	230.00
Azmatullah Omarzai	c Currie b Watt	48 runs	36	4	2	133.33

Best Bowler of Scotland

Bradley Currie	4 Overs	26 runs	2 Wickets
Chris Sole	4 Overs	35 runs	3 Wickets

Top Scorer of Scotland

George Munsey	b Naveen-ul-Haq	28 runs	18	3	2	155.55
Mark Watt	c Rashid Khan b Gulbadin Naib	34 runs	25	4	1	136.00

Best Bowler of Afghanistan

Mujeeb Ur Rahman	3 Overs	23 runs	2 Wickets
Karim Janat	2 Overs	13 runs	2 Wickets

Teams:

Afghanistan (Batting XI, Fielding XI): Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Mohammad Ishaq(w), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan(c), Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Scotland (Batting XI, Fielding XI): George Munsey, Ollie Hairs, Michael Jones, Richie Berrington(c), Matthew Cross(w), Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Christopher Sole, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Currie, Brad Wheal, Mark Adair, Jack Jarvis, Charlie Tear, Brandon McMullen