LAURA DELANY will be hoping to bounce back from the disappointment of not qualifying for the T20 World Cup by adding Sri Lanka to Ireland’s list of conquests when the two sides meet at Sydney Parade on Sunday and again on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka won the World Cup qualifying competition in May, while Ireland fell at the last hurdle against Scotland, but in home conditions the Girls in Green have a great chance of upsetting the Asia Cup winners.

“The qualifying tournament was really tough,” Delany said. “We played a lot of good cricket but in that final game Scotland really put it to us and we weren’t good enough on the day.

“As a squad we’ve improved hugely over the past year to 18 months and we’ll be looking to go out there against Sri Lanka and play in a fearless and aggressive way.

“When we play that style of cricket we know we’ll beat the likes of Australia, as we did in a World Cup warm-up match, and South Africa here at home, and win a series against Pakistan. It’s about sticking to our strengths.”

One of those strengths this time could be the local knowledge of playing at Pembroke, the home club of in-form Orla Pendergast, and a ground that all the Ireland squad are familiar with.

“We’d much rather play against Sri Lanka here, where we know the conditions,” Delany said. “We know what it’s like to play at Pembroke — a lot of us have played international cricket there.

"Orla is one of our main all-rounders and she’s been in brilliant form, and is someone who can change the game with the ball or the bat.”

After the two T20 games, the teams will travel north to play a three-match one-day international series at Stormont in Belfast, on August 16, 18 and 20.

IRELAND (from): Laura Delany (c) (Leinster), Ava Canning (Leinster), Christina Coulter Reilly (Clontarf), Alana Dalzell (Bready), Amy Hunter (Instonians/Malahide), Arlene Kelly (Malahide), Gaby Lewis (Phoenix), Jane Maguire (The Hills), Cara Murray (Saintfield), Leah Paul (Merron), Orla Prendergast (Pembroke), Una Raymond-Hoey (Ringwood), Freya Sargent (Clontarf), Rebecca Stokell (Merrion).