ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 | Match 40: Australia vs Oman | Preview and Predictions

Australia will take on Oman in match 40 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on 20th February 2026. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match no. 40 between Australia and Oman 

ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 Group B | Match 40: Australia vs Oman | 19:00 IST, February 20, 2026

2009 was the last time Australia got knocked out in the group stages of an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Still riding high from their home  Ashes series victory, the Aussies put out a patched up squad with many of their key players missing the tournament due to injury or joining the squad late. Moreover, there were some surprising decisions in the squad selection department – like overlooking someone of Steve Smith’s calibre before the start of the tournament. 

As a result, a commanding victory over Ireland in their opening fixture followed by consecutive defeats to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka means they cannot qualify for the Super8 stages. Besides, it isn’t like they’ve struggled in only one department. They’ve been equally poor with both bat and ball. 

With the bat, only Matt Renshaw has crossed the 100-run mark, however, the Aussies decided to drop him for all-rounder Cooper Connolly against Sri Lanka – who once again failed to deliver with both bat and ball. Apart from Renshaw, skipper Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are the only two who’ve looked comfortable in the middle. 

In the bowling department, Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa lead the charts with four wickets apiece. However, the worrying part is that all those wickets have come in the same game, against the same opponent. Against both Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, their entire bowling department looked toothless and inept at times – adding further salt to their woeful campaign. 

Their opponents, Oman, have arguably been one of the worst sides in this year’s competition. Three games and three comprehensive defeats hardly make for a good reading. Their batters have struggled against some of their established rivals while their bowlers were no match to the technique and aggression of the opposition batters. 

With the team yet to cross the 140-mark so far in this competition, it’s not a surprise no one has been able to breach the 100-run mark on a personal level. That said, the likes of Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza and Mohammad Nadeem have shown glimpses of what they’re capable of on their day. 

In the bowling department, Shakeel Ahmed and Sufyan Mehmood lead the charge with three wickets each while the rest of the attack has picked up wickets in between, although not enough. 

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, there is a 60% chance of rain interruptions with occasional rain and thunderstorms expected during the evening. As evident from the two games played here at this venue so far, the surface here at Pallekele offers a more batting friendly wicket compared to the other two venues. Thus, if Australia bat first, expect them to post something close to the 200-run mark.

Looking ahead to this fixture, with both teams having been already knocked out of the competition, this is more for pride than anything else. The Aussies, although disappointed, will still look to end their campaign on a high while Oman will be looking to inflict further pain on this dejected Australian side. That said, considering the strength of both these teams, we’re backing the Australians to end their campaign on a winning note. 

Fantasy XI: Mitchell Marsh (c), Aamir Kaleem, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis (vc), Jiten Ramanandi, Glenn Maxwell, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Shakeel Ahmed, Adam Zampa 

Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele 

Winners Prediction: Australia