Gaby Lewis Leads Ireland to Historic T20 Victory Over Sri Lanka

Second Twenty20 International, Sydney Parade, Dublin

- Ireland: 173-3 (20 overs): Lewis 119, Prendergast 38; Wijayarathna 1-24

- Sri Lanka: 166-7 (20 overs): Samarawickrama 85; Prendergast 2-28

- Ireland won by seven runs

Match Summary

Ireland secured a thrilling seven-run victory against Sri Lanka in the second Twenty20 international in Dublin on Tuesday, marking their first-ever win over the Sri Lankan team in this format.

Gaby Lewis was the star of the match, delivering an outstanding performance with an unbeaten 119, helping Ireland set a formidable target of 173-3 in their allotted 20 overs at Sydney Parade. This remarkable innings by Lewis was instrumental in Ireland's historic win.

Sri Lanka, despite a strong effort from Harshitha Samarawickrama, who scored 65, fell short of building on their victory in the first T20 match held on Sunday.

After choosing to bat first, Ireland lost opener Amy Hunter early for nine runs. However, Lewis took charge, smashing two sixes and an impressive 17 fours off just 75 balls before she was dismissed by Ama Kanchana for 119. Orla Prendergast contributed with a solid 38 off 31 balls, while Rebecca Stokell remained unbeaten on 4, helping Ireland close their innings on a high note.

In response, Prendergast made an early impact by dismissing Sri Lanka's opener Vishmi Gunaratne for just 1 run after seven balls. Samarawickrama's 65 from 44 balls initially kept Sri Lanka in the chase, bringing them to a promising 101-2 after 12.1 overs. However, once she was bowled by Jane Maguire, Sri Lanka's momentum waned.

Freya Sargent further dented Sri Lanka's hopes by dismissing Nilakshi de Silva (10) and captain Anushka Sanjeewani (8), while Prendergast took care of Kanchana (11), causing Sri Lanka's run rate to slow significantly.

Although Kavisha Dilhari's unbeaten 51 kept Sri Lanka's hopes alive, they required 16 runs off the final over. Tight bowling by Arlene Kelly ensured that Ireland clinched the victory.

The teams will now face off in a three-match one-day international series, which is set to begin at Stormont on Friday.