(Cricket news) The Ireland Men’s Cricket team will play their highly anticipated match against Sri Lanka today at 7:30 pm IST. The Lions are coming off the back of a victory against Namibia and are looking confident ahead of the game. For Ireland, there are no fitness concerns within the group as both Head Coach Graham Ford and captain Andrew Balbirnie have everyone available for selection.

At a press conference, Head Coach Graham Ford said: “On Sri Lanka, probably about half the squad I know pretty well, and the coach I know very well. We know they are going to be a very competitive and energetic unit – they have had previous successes in this format in previous years and previous T20 World Cups. So, it will be a huge game for us, but I think it will be a really exciting challenge – we’ll focus on going out and really enjoying this opportunity.”

“They have a special group – and have some players that can do some unorthodox stuff – but our lads have a lot of information on them, and at the end of the day it will be all about how we play on the day. We pitched up against the Netherlands with a real positive energy and commitment, and if we bring that again on Wednesday then we give ourselves a good chance.”

Interesting fact: Graham Ford was the former head coach of Sri Lanka from 2012-2014 and 2016-2017.

T20 World Cup – Round 1

18 October: Ireland v Netherlands
20 October: Ireland v Sri Lanka (Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium)
22 October: Ireland v Namibia (Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah)

Also read: Historic double hat-trick by Curtis Campher leads Ireland to a win against the Netherlands