Ireland secured their first victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 by defeating Oman by 96 runs at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Saturday.
Chasing 236 runs, Oman were bowled out for 139 in 18 overs, failing to cope with disciplined bowling from Ireland, which effectively ended their tournament hopes in a decisive performance.
Lorcan Tucker’s masterful innings of 94 not out, combined with contributions from Gareth Delany and George Dockrell, powered Ireland to a commanding total and set up a dominant victory over Oman.
Captain Knock
Ireland began shakily, losing opener Tim Tector for five runs off four balls to Shakeel Ahmed in the very first over, leaving the innings under immediate pressure from Oman.
Ross Adair and Harry Tector both fell for 14 runs each, leaving Ireland reeling at 45-3 in the fifth over as Oman’s bowlers applied early and disciplined pressure on the team.
Skipper Harry Tector and Curtis Campher steadied the innings with a valuable partnership, before Campher fell for 12 off seven deliveries, hitting two fours and struggling against Aamir Kaleem’s bowling.
Momentum returned when Lorcan Tucker joined Gareth Delany, attacking aggressively and rotating strike effectively, while Delany reached his fifty and shared a 101-run partnership with Tucker for the fourth wicket.
Aamir Kaleem stood out, taking crucial wickets and striking at regular intervals, but Oman struggled to contain the aggressive strokeplay of Tucker and Delany during Ireland’s imposing innings.
Brilliant Bowling Display
Josh Little led Ireland’s bowling with figures of 3 wickets for 16 runs in four overs, applying relentless pressure and restricting Omani batters from building any significant partnerships or momentum.
Matthew Humphreys and Barry McCarthy supported effectively, taking two wickets each, while George Dockrell chipped in with one wicket, ensuring Oman’s batting collapsed under the combined Irish bowling attack.
Aamir Kaleem top-scored with 50 runs off 29 balls including five fours and two sixes, while Hammad Mirza added 46 off 37 deliveries, but the rest failed to make impact.
Other Omani batsmen struggled to handle disciplined bowling and lost wickets at crucial intervals, leaving Oman bowled out for 139, giving Ireland a comprehensive 96-run victory in the T20 World Cup clash.
