Gary Wilson has offered an explanation for Ireland’s fielding woes at the T20 World Cup in Colombo — the assistant coach believes that dropping catches can be catching.

The Boys in Green have spurned up to a dozen chances in two games with a couple of straightforward misses against Sri Lanka probably costing them any chance of reaching the last eight.

“When it happens once, twice, three times, then it becomes more of a thing than it should be,” Wilson said. “The next catch isn't then just the next catch, it’s ‘I need to catch this because there's a theory floating around that we're dropping catches’.

“It’s almost like a bit of a thing that spreads through the group. The guys are not bad catchers, and they’re not bad fielders, and they’re doing the work I can 100 per cent vouch for that.

“Unfortunately, in the two games, we haven't been able to quite get it right.”

Ironically it was one that stuck which incapacitated skipper Paul Stirling when he held a superb diving catch, high to his right at short-extra cover during the 67-run loss to Australia.

Stirling landed awkwardly and although he strode out to open the Ireland innings an hour or so later his attempt to run a single off the first ball he faced ended up with him hobbling to the other end and retiring hurt.

The skipper has since been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament and has been replaced in the squad by the uncapped Sam Topping.

Ireland are next in action on Saturday when they play Oman.