Resurgent Sri Lanka take on raging Ireland

Former champions Sri Lanka managed to hold their own, navigating through unfamiliar territory to the Super 12, as they entered the main stage following a grueling group stage saga and can now turn their focus to the top sides.

The Lankans can take a sigh of relief to have reached the Super 12 after suffering a shocking defeat to associate nation Namibia in the tournament opener.

The reigning Asian Champions will hope not to stumble, especially when they take on an in-form at the Bellerive Oval today.

Ireland made it to the Super 12 as runners-up from Group B, made possible when Curtis Campher and George Dockrell pulled off the Houdini-act and combined for a 119-run stand against Scotland to keep qualification hopes alive before they outplayed and dumped two-time champions West Indies out of the World Cup on the final day of the group stage.

Against the Windies, it was veteran Paul Stirling with the goods. He scored an unbeaten 66 to take Ireland to the main stage after 13 overs, meaning that the Irish managed to cement a spot with the big boys after five unsuccessful attempts.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, heavily depended on openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis to lay the foundation following a blip against Namibia in their opening fixture.

The Lankans' squad, already plagued by injuries, will miss ace speedster Dushmantha Chameera with a leg injury. He leads their pace attack with his new-ball exploits and comes back to bowl the crucial death overs, something that the Asian Champions will be missing out on in this fixture.

However, the good news for the Dasun Shanaka-led side is that their spinners have found their groove. Wanindu Hasanranga and Maheesh Theekshana will be hoping to have the Irish batters tangled in their spin web.

Meanwhile, a rejuvenated Ireland will look to be the protagonist of yet another upset in this year's World Cup.