A confident Sri Lanka face an upbeat Ireland in a tricky contest of the T20 World Cup qualifiers here on Wednesday. The side that wins will move closer to a Super-12 spot.

In the other game, the Netherlands would look to regroup after a harrowing loss to Ireland and open their account when they take on Namibia in a must-win match.

Both Sri Lanka and Ireland are in a good space after convincing wins over Namibia and the Netherlands, respectively, in their opening matches. Sri Lanka brushed aside Namibia’s challenge with the bowlers rising to the occasion, while Ireland were far superior to the Netherlands as seamer Curtis Campher blew the Dutchmen away with his four wickets off four balls.

Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka thus will be aware that a stiffer test awaits his team when they lock horns with Ireland, a team against whom they can’t afford any slip-ups. Sri Lanka will be expecting more from their openers Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka as well as from the experienced Dinesh Chandimal.

Avishka Fernando and Bhanuka Rajapaksa lived up to expectations against Namibia with contrasting knocks. The spinners, Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga in particular, proved more than a handful for the Namibia batters and will be key to Sri Lanka’s performance as the tournament progresses.

Sri Lanka’s pace attack, comprising Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Karunaratne and Dushmanta Chameera, came up with an impressive performance, underscoring the fact that they could also be counted upon to make inroads into the opposition batting.