ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Moved into Group B as 2021 champions, AustraliaStart your campaign against ireland At the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. For Australia, it’s a fresh start after a tumultuous season that included a 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan and the loss of key fast bowlers. pat cummins And Josh Hazlewood to get hurt. Meanwhile, Ireland are in a ‘must-win’ position to keep their tournament hopes alive after a competitive but ultimately unsuccessful chase against co-hosts Sri Lanka in their opening game.
AUS vs IRE, T20 World Cup 2026: Match Details
- date and time: 11 February (Wednesday); 3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / 8:30 PM AEDT
- venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
AU vs IRE, head-to-head record (T20I):
Matches played: 2 | Australia won: 2 | Ireland won: 0
colombo pitch report
R. Premadasa Stadium is a landmark venue known for its spin-friendly track and relatively large boundaries. In the early matches of this World Cup, the surface has shown significant grip and turn, leading to a battle of wits between the spinners and batsmen in the middle overs. Although the new ball may provide initial help to the fast bowlers, the pitch becomes slower as the game progresses. Dew will not be a factor with the match being played in the afternoon, which has historically been in the team’s favor batting first Setting goals on a worn out pitch. However, Australia’s recent struggles against spin could propel them into the chase if they support their power-hitters to stay ahead at the required rate.
Team dynamics and key players
Australia: led by Michelle MarshThe Australian team features an inexperienced pace attack Xavier Bartlett And nathan ellis In the absence of its veteran stars. The spotlight will be on their spin department, where adam zampa will be supported by Matthew Kuhnman And cooper connolly. Batting remains Australia’s biggest threat; travis head And glen maxwell Capable of dismantling any attack, however, their adaptability to the slow pace of Sri Lankan conditions will be the ultimate test. Note that the big-hitters tim david Has been ruled out of this specific match due to minor injury.
Ireland: captain paul sterling Leads a side that prides itself on being “giant killers”. Ireland showed great spirit against Sri Lanka curtis kaempfer And harry tector Proving that they can handle high quality spin. led their bowling attack mark adair And josh littleWill look to take advantage of any early tournament jitters in the Australian camp. left arm spinner Matthew Humphreys The surface may have an “X-factor” that will potentially provide turn from the first ball.
Squad:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnman, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Callitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young
AUS vs IRE, T20 World Cup 2026: Today Match Prediction
Case 1:
- Australia won the toss and batted first
- Australia Powerplay Score: 50-60 (6 overs)
- Australia’s total score: 175-190
Case 2:
- Ireland won the toss and batted first
- Ireland Powerplay Score: 40-50 (6 overs)
- Ireland’s total score: 145-160
Match Result: Australia will win the tournament
