COLOMBO: The forecast in Colombo on Saturday spoke of showers, and rain did visit the Sinhalese Sports Club. But it was boundaries that truly poured as the Ireland cricketers bludgeoned the Oman bowlers to post the highest total of the 2026 T20 World Cup - 235/5 - and seal a thumping 96-run victory.
Chasing a mountain, Oman began with attacking intent, racing to 63/2 in the powerplay with two sixes and nine boundaries.
Veteran all-rounder Aamir Kaleem, the tournament’s oldest player, rolled back the years with a composed half-century (50), adding 73 runs with Hammad Mirza (46) to briefly ignite hope. But Kaleem’s dismissal in the 11th over, caught by Matthew Humphreys off Barry McCarthy, proved the turning point. Vinayak Shukla and Mohammad Nadeem fell within ten balls, and Oman slumped from promise to peril, sliding to 108/5 and then 116/8 by the 15th over before being bowled out for 139 in 18 overs.
Following Kaleem’s dismissal, a mix-up between Jiten Ramanandi and Mirza ended the resistance, a sharp direct hit from Harry Tector at the non-striker’s end catching Mirza short. His 46 off 37 balls comprised six boundaries and a six.
Josh Little then struck twice in one over to remove Ramanandi and Nadeem Khan, and Oman were bowled out. Sufyan Mehmood’s late blows merely delayed the inevitable as Oman crashed from 97/3 to 139 all out in a dramatic collapse.
The defeat confirmed Duleep Mendis’ men as the first side officially eliminated from the race for the Super Eights after a third successive loss.
Earlier, Ireland’s innings was a tale of recovery and ruthless acceleration. Captain Lorcan Tucker anchored the surge with an unbeaten 94 off 51 balls, forging a match-defining 101-run fifth-wicket stand with Gareth Delany (56) and an explosive unbroken 70-run sixth-wicket partnership with George Dockrell, who hammered 35 from just nine deliveries. Ireland’s imposing total was studded with 13 sixes and 21 fours.
Oman had started brightly after skipper Jatinder Singh opted to field under overcast skies. Spin spearhead Shakeel Ahmed, returning after missing the Sri Lanka clash, struck in the opening over to bowl Tim Tector and later dismissed Mark Adair and Harry Tector to leave Ireland wobbling at 47/3 at the end of the powerplay.
Kaleem tightened the squeeze by trapping Curtis Campher leg-before as Oman seized control at 64/4, and Ireland were a cautious 79/4 at halfway.
But the tide turned sharply. Delany launched the assault in the 10th over, and Tucker followed with measured authority, bringing up his half-century in 35 balls. The death overs turned brutal: Delany’s power-hitting lifted the tempo before Tucker and Dockrell unleashed carnage. Ireland plundered 86 runs in the final five overs, with Dockrell’s late blitz and Tucker’s clean striking leaving Oman’s bowlers searching for answers.
Brief scores: Ireland 235/5 (Lorcan Tucker 94*, Gareth Delaney 56, George Dockrell 35*; Shakeel Ahmed 3/33, Shah Faisal 1/32, Aamir Kaleem 1/29) beat Oman 139 in 18 overs (Aamir Kaleem 50, Hammad Mirza 46, Sufyan Mehmood 10; Matthew Humphreys 2/27, Josh Little 3/16, Barry McCarthy 2/32, George Dockrell 1/6)
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