Ireland delivered a commanding performance in the 22nd Group B match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, defeating Oman by a massive 96-run margin in Colombo.
The clash at the Sinhalese Sports Club turned into a one-sided affair as Ireland outclassed Oman in all departments to secure a comprehensive victory.
Batting first, Ireland produced a batting masterclass, piling up an imposing 235/5 in their allotted 20 overs. The backbone of the innings was captain Lorcan Tucker, who smashed a scintillating 94* off just 51 balls in a breathtaking display of power and control.
Gareth Delany played a crucial supporting role with 56 runs, while George Dockrell added 35 to maintain Ireland’s dominance.
In response, Oman struggled to keep up with the towering target and were bowled out for 139. Only Aamir Kaleem (50) and Hammad Mirza (46) offered brief resistance, but the rest of the batting line-up crumbled under scoreboard pressure.
Oman’s Shakeel Ahmed was the standout performer with three wickets, while Shah Faisal and Aamir Kaleem claimed one each. For Ireland, Josh Little led the attack with three wickets, supported by two wickets each from Matthew Humphreys and Barry McCarthy, dismantling Oman’s batting order with disciplined aggression.
The emphatic win strengthens Ireland’s position in Group B and sends a strong message to the other teams in the tournament.
Their explosive batting, sharp bowling, and disciplined fielding highlighted their intent to push deeper into the World Cup. Oman, on the other hand, will need to regroup quickly after this heavy defeat.
Probable Playing XIs
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Ireland: Tim Tector, GR Adair, Lorcan Tucker (C), H Tector, Curtis Campher, Benjamin Calitz, GH Dockrell, Gareth Delany, MR Adair, Matthew Humphreys, J Little
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Oman: Jatinder Singh (C), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Mohammad Nadeem, Jitenkumar Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (WK), Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Faisal Shah, Jay Odedra, Shakeel Ahmed
