Harshitha Samarawickrama's Unbeaten 86 Secures Sri Lanka's Victory Over Ireland

Sri Lanka claimed a commanding seven-wicket win over Ireland in the opening match of the Twenty20 series in Dublin, thanks to an impressive unbeaten 86 by Harshitha Samarawickrama.

Ireland, batting first, managed to post 145-6 in their 20 overs at Sydney Parade, with Gaby Lewis leading the scoring with 39 runs. Orla Prendergast also contributed 29 runs, and together with Lewis, added 59 runs for the second wicket, bringing Ireland to 83-1 by the 11th over. However, after their dismissals, Ireland's momentum slowed, and their scoring rate dropped significantly. Captain Laura Delany tried to revive the innings with a late effort but was eventually run out by Kavisha Dilhari for 25.

In response, Sri Lanka found little trouble in chasing down the target. Samarawickrama, along with Vishmi Gunaratne, built a solid opening partnership of 83 runs within the first 10 overs. Although Gunaratne was dismissed for 30 by Freya Sargent, and Sri Lanka lost two more wickets in the process, they comfortably reached the target with 20 balls remaining. 

The match drew over 1,100 spectators, marking the first women's T20 International clash between Ireland and Sri Lanka. The teams are set to face off again in another T20 match at the same venue on Tuesday, followed by a three-match one-day international series starting at Stormont on Friday.