CRICKET TWENTY20 WARM-UP:IRELAND MAY have gone down to a three-wicket defeat to a Sri Lanka Board XI at the quaint NCC ground here in the capital yesterday, but there were plenty of positives to take out of their Twenty20 warm-up game ahead of this week's quadrangular series.
Number one in that list was a promising debut for 17-year-old left-arm spinner George Dockrell, who was awarded his first cap before going on to take two wickets for just 20 runs from his four overs.
The Leinster player arrived in Sri Lanka after participating in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand and looked right at home from the start.
With Ireland missing the retired Kyle McCallan and injured Regan West from their slow-bowling ranks, the Leaving Certificate student from Gonzaga could not have timed his introduction to senior international cricket any better.
Set 148 for victory after Ireland failed to take full advantage of the compact ground on a steaming morning, the Sri Lanka Board XI were gifted a perfect start after Phil Eaglestone gave away 16 runs in the first over.
Trent Johnston turned things around in the next, taking two wickets as Dimuth Karunaratne gave Dockrell a routine catch with his first touch as he lobbed one up to mid-on, while Test player Nuwan Zoysa was bowled to leave the home side on 22 for two.
Eaglestone made amends with the wicket of Milinda Siriwardana in the third over, while Alec Cusack bowled Dilruwan Perera, before Dockrell’s introduction into the attack in the eighth over.
Hitting a good length from the off, Dockrell wasn’t afraid to put plenty of air on the ball and was rewarded after three straight dot balls when Sri Lanka international Chamara Kapugadera spooned one up to Cusack at wide mid-on to leave Ireland in a strong position with five wickets down for 54.
Seekkuge Prassana decided to hit his side out of trouble, clubbing John Mooney for three straight sixes before dispatching Dockrell on to the pavilion roof.
Unperturbed, the teenager offered the batsman a little more width with the next delivery and Prassana fell in to the trap as Johnston took the catch at short fine leg as he departed for 28.
Cusack took another wicket before the end, but Ireland were always going to struggle to contain their opposition after coming up 20 runs short in their innings, and they got home with an over to spare.
Dockrell, who has been included in the squad for next week’s World T20 qualifiers in the UAE, admitted he relished his first taste at senior international level.
“It was a great day, the catch really got me under way. I was a bit nervous but after that I just settled in and obviously things went well with the bowling,” he said.
“In Twenty20 you have to vary it a lot, if you throw it up there not much can go wrong. At least they are going to have to take the risk, coming at you, which is something I like about Twenty20.”
The confidence of youth maybe, but Dockrell thinks hard about his game, something that impressed skipper William Porterfield.
“He’s impressed in the nets and looks a good prospect. He thinks out there and you can tell that when you talk to him on the pitch. That’s a great attribute to have at 17. He looks like he has a bright future,” said Porterfield.
Ireland open their Quadrangular series schedule against Afghanistan at the P Sara Oval today, hoping to make up for their recent Intercontinental Cup loss in Dambulla.
The camp will also be looking for good news from Warwickshire, where opening bowler Boyd Rankin will undergo a fitness test on a stress injury to his right foot as he bids to join the squad ahead of the qualifiers.
Scoreboard
TWENTY20 WARM-UP(at NCC, Colombo) Sri Lanka Board XI won toss and fielded.
IRELAND
W Porterfieldlbw b Kulasekara 24
N O'Brienc Karunaratne b Kulasekara 6
A Bothac Mendis b Vidanapathirana 20
A Cusackc Prasanna b Mendis 20
A Whitec Kapugedera b Kulasekera 38
G Wilsonnot out 28 J Mooney not out 3
Extras (b1, lb4, w 3) 8
–––––
Total(for 5 wkts, 20 ovs) 147
Did not bat:N Jones, T Johnston, G Dockrell, P Eaglestone.
Fall of wickets:1-16, 2-41, 3-52, 4-91, 5-138.
Bowling:K Kulasekara 4-0-33-3; C Jayasinghe 4-0-31-0; C Vidanapathirana 4-0-21-1; T Lakshita 2-0-18-0; J Mendis 4-0-26-1; N Zoysa 1-0-9-0; M Siriwardana 1-0-4-0.
SRI LANKA BOARD XI
D Karunaratnec Dockrell b Johnston 5
M Siriwardanac Cusack b Eaglestone 13
N Zoysab Johnston 4
C Kapugederac Cusack b Dockrell 20
D Pererab Cusack 5
C Jayasingheb Cusack 29
S Prasannac Johnston b Dockrell 28
J Mendisnot out 28
K Kulasekaranot out 5
Extras(b2, lb1, nb1, w7) 11
––––––
Total(for 7 wkts, 19 ovs) 148
Did not bat:C Vidanapathirana, T Lakshitha.
Fall of wickets:1-17, 2-22, 3-28, 4-54, 5-54, 6-96, 7-143.
Bowling:P Eaglestone 2-0-28-1; T Johnston 3-0-13-2; A Cusack 4-0-27-2; G Dockrell 4-0-20-2; N Jones 1-0-10-0; J Mooney 1-0-20-0; A White 2-0-14-0; A Botha 2-0-13-0.
Sri Lanka Board XI won by 3 wkts.
