T20 World Cup: A draw means Ireland must step up to make their mark in the tournament

Tector and Humphreys continue to lead the way with bat and ball respectively, with the former averaging 43 across his past eight T20 internationals to form a solid middle-order with wicket-keeper Lorcan Tucker.

Ross Adair, who still holds Ireland’s most recent T20 century thanks to his knock against South Africa in 2024, appears to have fended off the challenge posed by Tector’s younger brother, Tim, to open alongside skipper Paul Sterling.

Although the skipper averages 20 in the 16 teams Ireland have played since the last World Cup, the 35-year-old remains the team’s best bowler against the bowling he is sure to face in Sri Lankan conditions.

The return of the bowling of veteran George Dockrell – who took four wickets for 53 runs from 13 overs in the warm-up – allows the batting line-up to be lengthened as 23-year-old Ben Calitz will be relied upon to provide some left-handed batting.

However, all of this is expected to come at the cost of real speed. Josh Little did not look out of sorts in either match against UAE after not managing a wicket in matches against both Bangladesh and Italy at an economy rate of between 9.50 and 13.50.

It seems likely that the player who took a memorable hat-trick in the T20 World Cup against New Zealand in 2022, and who already had figures of 4-23 against Sunday’s opposition the year before, will start the tournament outside the playing XI.

With Mark Adair, Ireland’s leading T20 wicket-taker there to shoulder the burden in terms of seaming, it means Malan’s selection that everyone can, in one way or another, gain some confidence from their preparations.

However, whether this carries over to facing the likes of Sri Lanka and Australia will be the deciding factor in Ireland’s efforts.