T20 World Cup 2026: Australia crushed Ireland by 67 runs in the 14th match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Australia batted first and put up 182 for 6 in their 20 overs. Ireland never got close, folding for just 115 in 16.5 overs. Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa shone in this match and starred with the ball to seal the win for the Aussies.
The match started with Australia’s captain, Travis Head, winning the toss and choosing to bat. But he barely got going and got run out for only six. After that, Josh Inglis and Cameron Green kicked things up a notch, blasting away in the powerplay at better than ten an over. Green chipped in 21 runs, while Inglis looked sharp with a quick 37.
Later on, Matt Renshaw (37) and Marcus Stoinis (45) with their display with the bat kept the scoreboard ticking and pushed Australia to a strong total of 182. For Ireland, Mark Adair did his bit with two wickets, but it wasn’t enough.
Ireland’s chase got off to a nightmare start. Their captain, Paul Stirling, had to walk off hurt with a hamstring strain on the very first ball. After that, Ireland just never found their footing. Lorcan Tucker (24) and George Dockrell (41) tried to steady things, but the rest of the lineup couldn’t handle Australia’s bowlers.
Adam Zampa was on fire in this clash. He scalped 4 wickets for just 23 runs in his 4 overs, while Nathan Ellis matched him with 4 wickets of his own. Ireland were bowled out for a paltry 115 and Australia walked away with a convincing 67-run win to open their World Cup campaign on a high.
Australia Playing XI: Travis Head (captain), Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa
Ireland Playing XI: Paul Stirling (captain), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wicketkeeper), Curtis Campher, Benjamin Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphries
