Ireland made a losing start to their Super 12 campaign at the T20 World Cup as Kusal Mendis steered Sri Lanka to a comfortable victory in Hobart.
Mendis hit an unbeaten 68 from 43 deliveries and wrapped up a nine-wicket win with his third six of the match, settling the group one encounter with five overs to spare.
Ireland had stunned West Indies to reach this stage of the competition and set their opponents a target of 129 as Harry Tector top-scored with a knock of 45.
Opener Paul Stirling contributed 34 to the cause, but there was a lack of support beyond that.
George Dockrell (14) and Lorcan Tucker (10) were the only other men to hit double figures as Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga took two wickets apiece and Ireland reached 128 for eight.
Sri Lanka were in control and never looked like coming up short after Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva put on a stubborn opening stand.
The duo had combined for 63 runs by the time Dhananjaya (31) was caught behind off Gareth Delany in the ninth over.
It proved to be the only Sri Lankan wicket to fall, with Mendis bringing up his 50 from 37 deliveries, hitting the milestone with a four.
Charith Asalanka matched Dhananjaya's haul of 31 before Mendis smashed Sri Lanka to victory.
Ireland next face England in Melbourne on Wednesday.
In group two, Virat Kohli's outstanding 82 not out off 53 balls steered India to a thrilling victory over Pakistan in a frenzied conclusion that went down to the last ball at a sold-out MCG.
Pakistan’s decision to hold back Mohammad Nawaz until the last over backfired as, with 13 required from three balls, the slow left-armer was adjudged to have bowled an above-waist-height no-ball which was heaved for six by Kohli.
Nawaz’s nerve deserted him as he threw in a wide down the leg-side with two needed off the last ball, after which Ravichandran Ashwin coolly lifted over the in-field for a single as India overhauled Pakistan’s 159 for eight with four wickets to spare.
On more than one occasion India looked sunk in the run-chase, but a 113-run union between Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40 off 37 balls) kept them afloat, with the pair growing in authority as the stand grew.
Kohli, who last month ended a two-and-a-half-year wait for an international century in any format, was particularly watchful after India had slipped to 31 for four, taking just 15 off his first 24 balls.
He seized the moment when it counted, not just off Nawaz but helping to get the target down to a manageable 16 off six with back-to-back sixes from the last two balls of the penultimate over, bowled by Haris Rauf, amid a cacophony of noise from a 90,293 crowd that ratcheted up in a dramatic finale.
Ireland's Super 12s fixtures (Irish times)
Wednesday 26 October, Ireland v England, Melbourne, (5am)
Friday 28 October, Ireland v Afghanistan, Melbourne, (5am)
Mon 31 October, Ireland v Australia, Brisbane, (8am)
Friday 4 November, Ireland v New Zealand, Adelaide, (4am)
