Colombo, February 14 – Ireland achieved an incredible 96-run victory over Oman on Saturday, securing their first win of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. This win ensures they are mathematically in contention for a place in the next round in the tightly contested Group B.
Young bowler Joshua Little took three crucial wickets, followed by Matthew Humphreys and Barry McCarthy, each taking two wickets, to bowl out Oman for 139 runs in 18 overs while chasing a massive target of 236 runs in their third match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Saturday.
The innings was characterized by two distinct halves, with Oman dominating the initial phase, while Ireland, led by captain Lorcan Tucker, launched a powerful offensive in the second half. Ireland recovered from 64/4 in 7.3 overs to score 235/5 in 20 overs, the highest score in this T20 World Cup and the second-highest overall in the history of the T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka previously held the record when they scored 260/6 against Kenya in Johannesburg in 2007.
Lorcan Tucker's unbeaten 94 was the second-highest individual score made by any captain in the T20 World Cup. West Indies' Chris Gayle holds the record with 98 against India in Bridgetown in 2010.
63/2: This is Oman's highest score to date. Their previous best was 53/2 against Scotland at North Sound in 2024.
22.10: The partnership run rate for the stand between Tucker and Dockrell (70 off 19 balls). This is the highest ever recorded in a T20 World Cup, surpassing 19.87 by M. Hussey and M. Johnson v Pakistan at Gros Islet (53 off 16 balls).
93: Irish batters scored 93 runs in the last 5 overs. This was the third-highest score in the death overs. Zimbabwe holds the record for scoring 116 against Gambia in 2024 in Nairobi.
5: This was Ireland's fifth win against Oman in the seven T20Is.
