Louise Little was the only Ireland player to emerge with any credit from a harrowing 10-wicket defeat by Sri Lanka in the first Group A match of the Emerging Nations T20 Trophy in Ajman, one of the United Arab Emirates.

While the Girls in Green are missing Orla Prendergast, who is playing for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash, and Rebecca Stokell, serving a voluntary ban after failing a drugs test, the margin of victory with seven overs to spare was alarming.

Little top scored with 28 and helped Ireland to 83-3 after 15 overs but the big final push required didn’t materialise as six wickets fell for 18 runs and a total of 105-9 was quickly picked off by the Sri Lanka openers.

It will be no comfort to her international team-mates that while they were being hammered, Prendergast was leading her Brisbane Heat side to an away victory over the Melbourne Stars with 52 not out from only 36 balls.