COLOMBO: Ireland unleashed a brutal late assault to post 235-5 against Oman in their Group B match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Saturday, overturning an early wobble with a pair of match-shaping partnerships.
Oman, who chose to field, struck three times in the powerplay as Shakeel Ahmed removed Tim Tector and Ross Adair, and Ireland slipped to 47-3. When Curtis Campher fell soon after, Ireland were 52-4 and in danger of wasting favourable batting conditions.
Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell flipped the script. First, Tucker stabilised alongside Gareth Delany in a stand of 101 from 56 balls, with Delany providing the middle-overs thrust while Tucker paced the innings before launching in the death phase. Tucker surged to 94 off 51 deliveries, mixing clean straight hitting with sweeps that kept Oman’s spinners under constant pressure.
Dockrell then delivered the finishing blow, smashing 35 from just nine balls with five sixes as Ireland plundered 93 runs from the last five overs. The onslaught left Oman’s bowlers with severe figures, as Jiten Ramanandi and Sufyan Mehmood were taken apart at the end.
Ireland hammered 21 sixes overall, turning a rescue act into a statement innings.
