It would be fitting if Ireland’s first win in the T20 World Cup came against the Scots given they denied the Irish a place in the tournament two years ago as they pulled off a shock victory to reach the tournament for the first time.

Lewis said there was “major heartbreak” in the Ireland camp after that sore defeat that forced the squad to have to watch the World Cup from home.

Ireland are in a better place now and come into the tournament off the back of a productive Tri-Nations series in Clontarf where they beat both Pakistan and the West Indies.

“The series was a great success, we’ve got the results behind us. Confidence is high and that’s exactly what you want going into a World Cup,” Lewis added.

Lloyd Tennant’s side are ranked ninth in the world but are in a tough Group B which also has hosts England, holders New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies alongside the Scots.

They will face all five sides with the top two in the group moving through to the semi-finals where they will face the top two from Group A.

Scotland won by 39 runs the last time the two sides met in Nepal in January and Lewis believes getting off to a good start in their first game is “massive” for Ireland in terms of momentum.

“There’s a big rivalry between us and them. They’ve probably got one up on us at the moment after beating us in Nepal. I think we’re looking good and we’re really excited for it.

“They’ve got a new addition in Kirsty Gordon [a former England spinner] which is a boost for them.

“If we get the win, then you never know against England.”

NHL fans on social media reacted to John Tortorella’s fiery response when asked if he considered pulling Carter Hart for Adin Hill in the third period of Game 5.

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday. The Canes now lead the series 3-2.

Carter Hart had another rough outing, allowing 4 goals on just 24 shots for a brutal .833 save percentage. He’s now allowed at least 4 goals in each of the first 5 games of the final, a tough stretch for the veteran.

When asked post-game if he considered switching to Adin Hill, Tortorella responded bluntly:

“Oh Christ, that might be the stupidest question I’ve ever heard,” Tortorella said.

Here’s how fans on X (formerly called Twitter) reacted to John Tortorella’s response. One tweeted:

“So done with this guy.”

Another chimed in:

“If Torts wanted to make a goalie switch, this was probably the game to do it. I just don’t think that you can start a guy cold in a do-or-die game.”

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

“Stupid for going to the goalie that got us our first cup? What?” a third fan wrote.”

“Torts It doesn’t matter anymore. Hart Needs a break. He has played way too many consecutive games and he is exhausted and tired. Hill has to come in. It doesn’t matter what you want. It’s what needs to happen. Hart isn’t in the zone ATM,” one X user opined.

“I do not have confidence Hill would be any better. However, to say that’s a stupid question seems like a really odd thing to say,” another chimed in.

“Well, he’s not signed past the playoffs!” added another.

Hurricanes move one step closer to Stanley Cup after Game 5 win over Golden Knights

On Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 5 at Lenovo Center. The Hurricanes lead the series 3-2 and are only a win away from clinching their second title.

Pavel Dorofeyev opened the scoring for the Golden Knights on the power play at 8:52 of the first period. Jordan Staal tied it 1-1 for the Hurricanes before heading into the second period.

Andrei Svechnikov increased the Hurricanes’ lead to 2-1 on the power play at 11:58 of the second period. Sebastian Aho increased the lead to 3-1 before heading into the third period.

Svechnikov scored his second on the power play to make it 4-1 for the Hurricanes at 11:08 of the third frame. Dorofeyev scored his second for the final scoreline of 4-2. Game 6 returns to Vegas on Sunday.