T20 World Cup: Injury-hit Australia kick-start campaign versus Ireland
What's the story
Australia will kick-start their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Ireland at the iconic R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday. While the Aussies will aim to prevail in their opening match of the tournament, Team Ireland is looking for redemption after a disappointing loss to Sri Lanka in their opening game. Here is the preview of the fixture.
Game forecast
Pitch report and other details
The weather in Colombo looks clear with no rain threat. The pitch at R. Premadasa Stadium was slow and spin-friendly in the opening match between Sri Lanka and Ireland. Sri Lanka's win batting first ended an eight-match streak of T20Is at this venue won by the chasing team since 2021. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on the JioHotstar app/website (3:00pm IST).
Team hurdles
Australia dealing with injuries ahead of their tournament opener
Australia's late start to the tournament works in their favor, as they deal with a slew of injuries. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have already been ruled out due to injuries. Tim David is also likely to miss the first match as he continues his hamstring rehabilitation. Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa's fitness were also concerns after recent minor injuries, but they are expected to play against Ireland.
Squad dynamics
Ireland's squad for T20 World Cup and their recent form
Ireland's squad is a mix of experience and youth. The team is being led by Paul Stirling, who has been a consistent performer in the shorter format. Other key players include Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, and George Dockrell. However, Ireland's recent form has been inconsistent, having lost to Sri Lanka in their tournament opener after dropping seven catches and conceding 59 runs in the final four overs. The Lankans made use of the slow surface and successfully defended 163.
Information
Here's the head-to-head record
Australia and Ireland have met twice before in T20 World Cup history, with the Aussies emerging victorious on both occasions. Their first encounter was at the same venue (Colombo) in 2012, followed by a clash during the 2022 event held in Brisbane. These two teams have not met in T20Is outside the global event.
Team line-ups
Predicted playing XIs of both teams
Australia (Probable XI): Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann. Ireland (Probable XI): Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, Ben Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys.
Performers
Here are the key performers
Paul Stirling is Ireland's highest run-scorer in the T20I format, having tallied 3,894 runs at 26.31. Mark Adair has taken the most wickets for them - 140 at 19.51. Adam Zampa has snapped up 36 wickets from 21 T20 World Cup matches at an average of 13.69. Mitchell Marsh has played 19 games in the tournament, scoring 446 runs at an average of 29.73. His strike rate is 130.02.