Karunaratne ton, Hasaranga five-for knock Ireland out of WC Qualifier

Karunaratne’s contribution was arguably more instrumental to the victory. After Barry McCarthy took two wickets in two balls in the ninth over, Karunaratne and Sadeera Samarawickrama built a 168-run stand. This partnership – in which the batters largely picked up risk-free singles and twos and pounced on the loose deliveries, particularly those that were short – forged Sri Lanka’s victory. Samarawickrama was dropped on 66, at mid-on, and he went on to make 82 off 86 balls.

Karunaratne and Samarawickrama came together in the ninth over; when they were parted in the 36th, with 216 on the board, a score of more than 300 seemed inevitable. Their attack, which has not conceded 200 so far in the tournament, will go into the Super Six stage as perhaps the best on show.

Even if it had been too little too late – so thoroughly did Karunaratne and Samarawickrama dominate the middle overs – Ireland’s late charge with the ball did dent Sri Lanka. They could have made 20 more, Dasun Shanaka said in the after-innings interview, but the lower order was dismissed cheaply.

The top order, though, had got Sri Lanka through once again, and the bowling was dominant enough to make short work of the Ireland chase. Ireland were 57 for 3 in the 11th over, 116 for 6 by the 20th, and essentially never had the measure of the chase.

Aside from Hasaranga’s five, Maheesh Theekshana got two wickets, and Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara and Shanaka took one each. Curtis Campher top-scored for Ireland with 39. (ESPNcricinfo)