Porterfield still proud gone Ireland fall short

Ireland captain William Porterfield said his side had "given everything" gone they came within a whisker of adding to their country's record of shock cricket wins against Sri Lanka.

The only non-Test team left in the World Twenty20, Ireland performed brilliantly in the field near restricts Sri Lanka to 144 for nine in their Super Eights clash at Lord's here on Sunday.

But having been 87 for one they crumbled in the face of pressure bowling from spinners Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan, like well as unorthodox quick Lasith Malinga.

In the end they finished agonisingly in sight of their target at 135 for seven also went down by nine runs to a Sri Lanka team still to lose a match at this tournament.

"The lads gave everything," said Porterfield. "That's what I asked for before the match and they left nothing out there."

"We are obviously a bit disappointed we lost the game but if you went around every lad during the changing room plus asked them 'could you have given any more?’ they couldn't have.

"To restrict a side like Sri Lanka to 140-odd was a fantastic effort.



"I thought we were really good inside the field and we batted pretty well before just coming up short in the end," added Porterfield, a member of the Ireland squad that beat Bangladesh and Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.
Ireland's Niall O'Brien had a fine all-round match. The Northamptonshire wicket-keeper starred in the field with three catches and a stumping before making 31 despite being restricted into his running by an ankle injury.

It was a display appreciated by Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, well caught in opposing gloveman O'Brien when the keeper was stood up to the stumps.

"I think it was a great performance," said Sangakkara. "The way he kept was absolutely brilliant and he backed that up with some very good batting. It was fortunate for us he be struck with an injury.

"But I think the way the Irish team played, I am sure it be very encouraging for them and for Ireland as a cricketing nation.

"They are leaving to get stronger and stronger as long as they get some good young cricketers taking up the game."

Sri Lanka is indebted to an innings of 78 from Mahela Jayawardene, their former captain.

He too is impressed by Ireland, saying: "Especially in Twenty20, you can't under-estimate any team. If you make a couple of mistakes it's quite difficult to come back into the match.

"They bowled very well up front, picked up a couple of wickets also we were on the backfoot."

Ireland, despite this defeat, still has a chance of reaching the semi-finals.

They will need to beat Pakistan heavily in their final Super Eights match at the Oval on Monday and hope Sri Lanka defeat New Zealand by a wide margin if they are to leave through on run-rate as one of the top two teams from Group F.

Had O'Brien, who originally injured his ankle during their first round win over Bangladesh, stayed fit it might have been a different story.

Fellow opener Porterfield, who too made 31, said: "He's a tough character, a great character and just soldiers on.

"It did hamper him a bit but there be no chance of him asking for a runner because he came into the game with the injury. He didn't even ask the question, it was never during his head, he just kept going."