William Porterfield revives Ireland after wobble
Chasing a relatively modest 122 for victory, Irish skipper William Porterfield smashed nine boundaries as he raced to 46 from just 30 balls in the first game of their quadrangular series in Sri Lanka. Porterfield and Niall O'Brien (18) added 52 in just 6.1 overs to set Ireland well on course for a win that launches their bid to qualify for the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean in April.
Karim Sadiq (two for 17) brought a semblance of control to the wayward attack, and having dismissed Porterfield, followed it up with the wicket of Andre Botha (5). That sparked a nervous period for the Irish as they faltered from 91 for two to 98 for five in the space of 12 balls before Gary Wilson and John Mooney's unbroken 26 sealed the win with 11 balls to spare.