PALLEKELE, FEB 20: Australia grabbed a dominant nine-wicket win over Oman as both sides wrapped up their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns with today’s (Friday) group-stage match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka’s Kandy.
Adam Zampa’s four-wicket haul and Mitchell Marsh’s unbeaten half-century powered Australia to a convincing victory.
Set to chase a modest 105, Australia made light work of the target as they struck the winning runs for the loss of just one wicket and 62 balls to spare.
Leading the way for the 2021 champions was their captain, Marsh, who top-scored with an unbeaten half-century, making 64 off 33 deliveries, studded with seven fours and four sixes.
Marsh was significantly supported by opening partner Travis Head, who chipped in with a 19-ball 32, as the duo put together 93 runs in eight overs until the left-hander was caught and bowled by Shakeel Ahmed.
Following Head’s dismissal, Josh Inglis ensured a dominant finish by smashing 12 not out from just six deliveries.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh’s decision to field first paid dividends as his team’s bowling unit booked Oman for a modest 104 in 16.2 overs.
Oman got off to a shaky start to their innings as they lost three wickets inside five overs with just 39 runs on the board.
Following the early stutter, middle-order batter Wasim Ali walked out to bat at No 5 and took the reins of Oman’s batting expedition with a cautious knock.
The left-handed batter oversaw Oman’s innings until the 16th over, which saw him fall victim to Glenn Maxwell after top-scoring with a 33-ball 32, featuring four fours.
Besides him, only captain Jatinder Singh (17), Hammad Mirza (16) and Karan Sonavale (12) could amass double figures against the disciplined Australia bowling attack, led by Zampa, who returned economical figures of 4/21 in his 3.2 overs.
Zampa’s efforts were backed by Maxwell and Xavier Bartlett, who bagged two wickets each, while Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Ellis chipped in with one scalp apiece.
Adam Zampa was named Player of the Match after taking four wickets for just 21 runs.
It is pertinent to mention that both Australia and Oman are already out of the Super Eights contention following equally disappointing campaigns.
The 2021 champions are fourth in Group B standings with just two points in three matches, suffering defeats at the hands of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, while Oman are at the bottom, having lost all three of their opening group-stage fixtures.
