Oman won the toss and opted to bowl against Ireland in a crucial Group B fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Saturday.

Oman made two changes to their line-up, with Ashish Odedara coming in for Wasim Ali in the batting order, and left-arm spinner Shakeel Ahmed replacing Jay Odedara in the bowling attack.

Ireland, led by Lorcan Tucker, also made two alterations.

The most notable change was forced by Paul Stirling’s knee-ligament injury, which has ruled him out of the tournament.

Tim Tector and left-arm seamer Josh Little were handed their first appearances in the competition, with Little replacing spinner Ben Calitz.

Both sides enter the match without a win after two games.

Oman suffered a heavy defeat against Sri Lanka at the same venue on Thursday, while Ireland were comprehensively beaten by Australia at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

The encounter, described as a “desperation derby,” is pivotal for both teams’ hopes of progressing from Group B.

Their campaigns will be slightly buoyed by yesterday’s shock result, with Australia falling to Zimbabwe in a surprise upset.

Pitch conditions at the Sinhalese Sports Club are expected to favour spin, suggesting that crafty bowlers could play a decisive role in the outcome.