London, Jun 14 (PTI) Sri Lanka survived a scare before putting one foot in the semifinal of the Twenty20 World Cup following their narrow nine-run win over minnows Ireland in their Super Eight match at Lord's here today.
Sri Lanka are now sitting atop the Group F with four points from two wins. They had earlier beaten Pakistan.
Electing to bat, Mahela Jayawardene hit a gutsy 53-ball 78 to save Sri Lanka blushes as a spirited Irish attack restricted the islanders to a modest 144 for nine.
However, Lankan bowlers lived up to their reputation and denied Ireland an upset win, restrictng them to 135 for seven.
Both Lasith Malinga (2/19) and Ajantha Mendis (2/22) bowled with fire and venom, putting up a clinical performance, to script Sri Lanka's win.
Irish Skipper William Porterfield (31) and Niall O'Brien (31) had provided a decent start to the minnows, knitting together 59 runs for the first wicket.
But the slow run rate dented their chances heavily and middle-order was left with a daunting task. John Mooney flourished late in the innings with unbeaten 31 but could not finish it off for his side.
Kumar Sangakkara rotated all his bowlers, including mystery spinner Mendis and wizard Muttiah Murlitharan, seeking early breakthrough but Ireland still got off to a decent start. PTI
