We now move into Group B, featuring Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Oman. An interesting group, to be honest.
Australia
The 2021 Champions have been a competitive side in this tournament, reaching the final on two occasions.
Their first time reaching was in 2010, in the West Indies, where they lost to England in Barbados by seven wickets.
The second time they reached, was in the United Arab Emirates, where they beat New Zealand in Dubai
In 2024, they finished third in Group 1 of the Eights stage, having won just one of three games.
What will happen this time?
Schedule:
Wednesday 11th February: Australia vs Ireland: Colombo: 09:30
Friday 13th February: Australia vs Zimbabwe: Colombo: 05:30
Monday 16th February: Australia vs Sri Lanka: Pallekele: 13:30
Friday 20th February: Australia vs Oman: Pallekele: 13:30
Provisional Squad:
Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
Players to Watch: Travis Head, Cooper Connolly(wildcard)
The left-handed South Australian is one of the most destructive batsmen in the world right now. What makes him so dangerous is the fact that he can score runs all around the round at a rapid pace.
Head had a phenomenal Ashes Series, scoring 629 runs at an average of 62.90. This consisted of three hundred, with the highest score of 170 coming in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval.
Head is someone who thrives in the big games. Another example of this was the 137 he hit to win Australia the 2023 World Cup final against India.
His T20I record is pretty good, with 1,220 runs at a strike rate of 157.01 and an average of 29.04.
How much damage can he do at this year’s World Cup?
In terms of a wildcard pick, the young left-hander from Perth could be a potential game-changer for Australia.
He was the third-highest scorer of the 2024/25 Big Bash League with 351 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 131.46.
This included two fifties, with a highest score of 66 against the Melbourne Renegades.
However, 2025/26 was not his best season, as he only managed 209 across 12 matches.
Can he make an impact in this tournament?
Sri lanka
The 2014 champions had had a relatively lean period in T20 World Cups.
Since their victory in Bangladesh, they have not advanced past the Super 10/12 stage.
Part of the reason is that they haven’t been able to fully replace the golden era of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, and others.
Players like Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, and Pathum Nissanka have stepped up their game in recent years, but they still don’t have the same aura that the others had.
What will the Lankans do this time?
Schedule:
Sunday 8th February: Sri Lanka vs Ireland: Colombo: 13:30
Thursday 12th February: Sri Lanka vs Oman: Pallekele: 05:30
Monday 16th February: Australia vs Sri Lanka: Pallekele: 13:30
Thursday 19th February: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe: Colombo: 09:30
Squad:
Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Rathnayake, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Traveen Mathew
One To Watch: Matheesha Pathirana
Do you remember a fast bowler called Lasith Malinga, aka Slinga Malinga?
This guy is almost a carbon copy of him, with his unorthodox bowling action, except Malinga uses his wrist to generate more movement in the air.
Returning to Pathirana, he has 33 wickets in 23 T20Is at an average of 18.36.
He is a death overs specialist, which means that he thrives in bowling in the latter overs of the match, because due to his action, batters find it difficult to read his yorkers and slower balls.
Pathirana wasn’t coached to bowl like that; it was just a natural skill of his.
He began bowling like that because he was trying to generate speed before he was very strong.
Malinga, in fact, is his childhood hero, so it comes as no surprise that he has kept on bowling like that.
He is known to my Sri Lankan fans as Baby Malinga because of the similarities between the two bowlers.
Can he deliver a Malinga-like masterclass at the T20 World Cup?
Zimbabwe
The Zimbabweans have featured in seven of the last nine T20 World Cups; however, they have progressed beyond the group phase only once.
2022 was when that happened.
There are several reasons for Zimbabwe’s lack of competitiveness in this tournament.
One of the main reasons is their lack of resources.
This results in a smaller pool of players to choose from due to their weak domestic system.
Schedule:
Monday 9th February: Oman vs Zimbabwe: Colombo: 09:30
Friday 13th February: Australia vs Zimbabwe: Colombo: 05:30
Tuesday 17th February: Ireland vs Zimbabwe: Pallekele: 09:30
Thursday 19th February: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe: Colombo: 09:30
squad:
Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor
Player to watch: Tadiwanashe Marumani
The wicketkeeper batsman is the player to watch for the Zimbabweans in this tournament.
1,145 runs at a strike rate of 128.07 from 61 T20Is is a healthy stat in this format, and he would want to improve on it in this tournament.
He burst onto the scene in the 2020 U19 World Cup, where he was the tournament’s fourth-highest scorer, with 257 runs.
He was also the highest scorer of the Zimbabwe T20 League 2025, with 266 runs in five matches, at a strike rate of 162.2, and an average of 53.2.
During the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Regional Final, he scored 74 not out, helping Zimbabwe win the trophy by seven wickets.
Can he prove his potential in the T20 World Cup?
Ireland
Embed from Getty ImagesSince the second edition of the T20 World Cup in 2009, the Irish have been a regular feature in this tournament.
They made it to the Super Eight in 2009 and Super 12s in 2022. where they famously beat Ireland by five runs via the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis) method.
2024, however, was a dismal campaign, as they failed to win any of their three group games.
How will they do in 2026?
Schedule:
Sunday 8th February: Sri Lanka vs Ireland: Colombo: 13:30
Wednesday 11th February: Australia vs Ireland: Colombo: 09:30
Saturday 14th February: Ireland vs Oman: Colombo: 05:30
Tuesday 17th February: Ireland vs Zimbabwe: Pallekele: 09:30
Squad
Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
One to watch: Harry Tector
Paul Stirling’s side has a batch of talented cricketers, none more sore than the accomplished middle-order batter from Dublin.
With 1,761 runs in 95 T20Is at a strike rate of 122.58, Tector is the anchor of Ireland’s batting, and they will need him to be at his best.
In November 2025, he produced an unbeaten 69 off 45 balls against Bangladesh in the first of three T20Is, helping Ireland to a winning total of 181.
He also scored 61 to help Ireland post a highly competitive 196 against England in the first T20 in September 2025.
Can he be the player that Ireland needs him to be at the T20 World Cup?
OMAN
As co-hosts in 2021, Oman has also participated in the last three T20 World Cups.
However, they have failed to advance past the group stage on each occasion.
They built their own World Cup status by qualifying through the regional qualifiers, beating the likes of Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Japan.
In terms of their aims for this campaign, they intend to:
- Build on past World Cup experience
- Secure more wins at the global stage
- Advance to the Super Eights for the first time
- make use of the spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka
Looking at their squad, there’s no reason to suggest they can’t do that.
Schedule
Monday 9th February: Oman vs Zimbabwe: Colombo: 09:30
Thursday 12th February: Sri Lanka vs Oman: Pallekele: 05:30
Saturday 14th February: Ireland vs Oman: Colombo: 05:30
Friday 20th February: Australia vs Oman: Pallekele: 13:30
Squad
Jatinder Singh (c), Vinayak Shukla, Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmad, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Shah Faisal, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra, Shafiq Jan, Ashish Odedara, Jiten Ramanandi, Aamir Kaleem
Player to watch: Jatinder Singh
The Omani Captain will look to set the tone for his side at the T20 World Cup.
Born in India, moved to Oman as an adult.
He made his T20 debut at the age of 20, which is considered to be quite late by modern cricketer standards.
However, his commitment to the sport has made him Oman’s leading run-scorer across all formats.
In 72 T20Is, he has 1,605 runs at a strike rate of 120.58, with nine fifties, and a highest score of 73 against Papua New Guinea in the 2021 tournament.
He is Oman’s ‘Mr Dependable, and remains calm under pressure.
He shares a trait with the great Sachin Tendulkar: whenever he gets out, the crowd goes silent.
The only difference is that he is carrying a developing cricket system on his shoulders, whereas Tendulkar carried the whole of India.
Can he rise once again for his nation at the T20 World Cup?
So that’s it for Group B of the T20 World Cup.
Join us for Group C on World In Sport.