T20 WC 2026: Maheesh Theekshana's three-fer helps SL beat Ireland
08 Feb 2026

Sri Lanka kicked off their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a win over Ireland at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

The Lankans made use of the slow surface and successfully defended 163. Spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga shared six wickets in their win.

Theekshana's stunning final over nearly sealed the win as Ireland later perished for 143.

Here are the key stats.

Ireland collapse after promising start
Bowling prowess

In response to the target, Ireland lost skipper Paul Stirling early on. Theekshana knocked him over in the fourth over.

Ireland's Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker recorded a solid 49-run partnership for the third wicket.

However, Dunith Wellalage broke the momentum by dismissing Tucker.

Hasaranga then struck to remove Tector, while Benjamin Calitz was dismissed by Theekshana.

In his final over, Theekshana was on a hat-trick as he dismissed Gareth Delany. He finished with 3/23 from his four overs.

A look at his stats
Stats

Theekshana has been Sri Lanka's mainstay spinner in white-ball cricket. His exploits in the Powerplay have been valuable.

The spinner now has 74 wickets from 77 T20Is at an average of 27.44. His economy rate reads 7.03.

In 19 T20 World Cup matches, the Lankan spinner has accounted for 21 wickets with an average of 19.76 (ER: 6.17).