Two matches, two defeats and their qualification hopes hang in the balance – this sums up the situation for both Ireland and Oman ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Making it to the Super Eights now looks impossible, with both teams trying to convince themselves that their performances have been better than the results.
Oman in particular has a number of concerns that need to be addressed quickly. Their bowling attack has been struggling badly, especially against Sri Lanka, who set a challenging total of 225 runs against them. The batting performance has also not been very good, so far both the teams have scored only 103 runs and 120 runs for 9 wickets. The lack of partnerships and inability to contain the opposition batsmen has kept them under constant pressure.
Ireland, on the other hand, have shown glimpses of competition with both bat and ball but have had to pay the price of poor fielding. In his two matches, he has dropped nine catches – costly mistakes at this level. Their troubles are increasing, Captain paul sterling He has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a knee injury, leaving the team without one of its most experienced leaders.
IRE vs OMA, T20 World Cup 2026: Match Details
- date and time: 14 February (Saturday); 11:00am IST / 5:30am GMT
- venue: Sinhala Sports Club, Colombo
IRE vs OMAHead-to-head record in T20I
Matches played: 6 | Ireland won: 4 | Oman won: 2
Sinhalese Sports Club Pitch Report
The pitch of the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo is generally a fair contest which changes character as the match begins. Initially, the batsmen benefit from consistent bounce and a fast outfield, making the powerplay ideal for fluent stroke-play and rapid scoring. As the overs pass, the surface begins to slow down and the dry areas begin to hold, allowing the spin bowlers to come firmly into play. This often makes the middle and death overs difficult for batsmen, as timing the ball becomes more challenging.
Previous matches at the venue have shown that although teams often attempt to chase, a score of around 170 or more in the first innings can be difficult to achieve if the pitch is poor.
squads
Oman: Aamir Kaleem, Jatinder Singh (captain), Hammad Mirza, Mohammad Nadeem, Wasim Ali, Vinayak Shukla (wicketkeeper), Jiten Ramanandi, Nadeem Khan, Sufiyan Mahmood, Shah Faisal, Jai Odedara, Shakeel Ahmed, Karan Sonawale, Ashish Odedara, Shafiq Jan.
Ireland: Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (c & wk), Curtis Campher, Benjamin Callitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphries, Tim Tector, Joshua Little, Benjamin White, Craig Young, Sam Topping
See also: Kyle Clyne helps John Cena after dismissing Shayan Jahangir in USA vs NED T20 World Cup 2026 clash
IRE vs OMAT20 World Cup 2026: Today’s match prediction
Case 1:
- Ireland won the toss and batted first
- Ireland’s powerplay score: 40-50 (6 overs)
- Ireland’s total score: 160-170
Case 2:
- Oman won the toss and batted first
- Oman’s powerplay score: 30-40 (6 overs)
- Oman’s total score: 130-140
Match Result: Ireland will win the tournament
Also read: Mayanti Langer, Laura McGoldrick to Grace Hayden: Complete list of T20 World Cup 2026 presenters