Ireland Wolves draw opening warm-up game in Sri Lanka

Ireland Wolves have drawn a two-day warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Board President's XI at the Katunayake Cricket Ground on Wednesday morning, with Head Coach Pete Johnston commending his squad during its first encounter with subcontinent conditions.
Ireland Wolves playing Sri Lanka PB sideIreland Wolves playing Sri Lanka PB side
Ireland Wolves playing Sri Lanka PB side

“The last few days have been a quick turnaround for us, but we’ve had three good days of practice,” said Johnston.

“First day we had a good practice session and then we went straight into this two-day practice match.

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“We used this game to get time on the guys feet - to get them used to the conditions and the heat.

Ireland Wolves arrive in Sri LankaIreland Wolves arrive in Sri Lanka
Ireland Wolves arrive in Sri Lanka

“The bowlers got their loads up today, which is great, and we’ve batted a couple of times in match situations as well, so it’s been a really good few days.”

The match, played a day earlier than originally planned due to issues relating to venue availability, saw the Wolves squad take the field less than 36 hours after arriving in Sri Lanka. After winning the toss, Wolves Captain Harry Tector chose to bat first.

In spite of a number of starts made by the top order, only wicketkeeper-batsman Lorcan Tucker settled in for a lengthy innings, making 47 from 119 balls.

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“Lorcan batted really well, particularly against the spinners,” said Johnston.

“He was strong in his defensive shots, he lined everything up well, but equally he used his feet well and swept well too. He faced a lot of balls and spent a lot of time out there, and looked very composed, very organised. ”

Captain Tector made a breezy 26 from 29 balls, but the Sri Lankan attack proved decisive on their home pitch and bowled the Wolves out for 159 from 53.3 overs.

SCORE SUMMARY

Ireland Wolves 159 (53.3 overs; L Tucker 47, H Tector 26; P Kaushal 3-28)

SLBP XI 313-7d (68.1 overs; S Weerakkody 93, H Dumindu 74; H Tector 2-58, JJ Garth 2-72)

Ireland Wolves 60-4 (24 overs; J McCollum 31)