ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 | Match 22: Ireland vs Oman | Preview and Predictions

Ireland will face Oman in Match 22 of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the SSC Ground, Colombo, on February 14, 2026. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for the game.

ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 | Match 22: IRE vs OMA | 11:00 IST, February 14, 2026

Ireland and Oman come into this fixture with two defeats out of two each and are virtually out of the competition; this could be a dead rubber.

Ireland lost their opening encounter against Sri Lanka and then suffered a huge defeat to Australia in their second group stage fixture. Ireland did have Australia in a spot of bother at 88/4 after ten overs, after the Aussies won the toss and decided to bat first. However, they let that advantage slip, with Marcus Stoinis (45 off 29) and Matt Renshaw (37 off 33) sticking together and getting their side to a highly competitive 182/6. Mark Adair ended up with two wickets, but gave away 44 runs in his four overs.

In response, Ireland were bowled out for a paltry 115 inside 17 overs, with only George Dockrell (41 off 29) offering any resistance to the Aussie bowling. Adam Zampa (4/23) and Nathan Ellis (4/12) broke the Irish batting order and resolve with impressive spells. This game also showed that batting isn’t really Ireland’s strength, despite the squad boasting a handful of quality batters.

Most associate nations have shown great intent and fight this World Cup, barring Oman, who have been underwhelming, to say the least. They have suffered comprehensive defeats in both their group games so far. In their opening encounter, a batting collapse led to their defeat against Zimbabwe, while in their recent game against Sri Lanka they were thoroughly outplayed in all departments of the game. 

Against Sri Lanka, Oman won the toss and decided to bowl first, which proved to be a costly decision as the Sri Lankan batters dispatched them to all parts of the ground, piling up a massive target of 225/5. Kusal Mendis (61 off 45), Pavan Rathnayake (60 off 28), and Dasun Shanaka (50 off 20) led the way with the bat for the co-hosts. Though Jiten Ramanandi took 2/41, there was barely any support from the other Oman bowlers, who gave away far too many runs. 

In response, the Omani batters couldn’t handle the big-target pressure and ended up losing by a huge margin of 105 runs. Their final score read 120/9 after 20 overs, with only two batters ending in double digits. Mohammad Nadeem (53* off 56) waged a lone battle, with Wasim Ali (27 off 20) being the only one lending any kind of support. Maheesh Theekshana (2/11) and Dushmantha Chameera (2/19) were the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka.  

This defeat to Sri Lanka wouldn’t just have broken the morale of the Oman team, but also removed any chance of their qualification, as their net run rate has taken quite a beating.

Although both teams have suffered due to batting failures, Ireland still have more experience of playing in ICC tournaments as compared to Oman and, therefore, hold the edge in this encounter.

The pitch at the SSC Ground is good for batting and could provide plenty of help to the slow bowlers as well. George Dockrell and Gareth Delaney could prove vital with their spin for Ireland. Having played a match in Sri Lanka already, the Irish players will be more comfortable with the conditions, though this is a different ground.

Moreover, given Ireland’s batting is superior to Oman’s, this is a match where the former are heavy favourites for the win. Even though their World Cup campaigns might already be over, getting a win will be highly encouraging for either team.

Fantasy XI: Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Mohammad Nadeem, Jatinder Singh, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Wasim Ali, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Joshua Little, Barry McCarthy, Jiten Ramanandi

Venue: Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo 
Winners Prediction: Ireland