Australia Start T20 World Cup Campaign Against Ireland in Colombo

Former champions Australia will begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Ireland in a Group B match at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday.

Led by Mitchell Marsh, Australia enter the tournament without their premier pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Starc has retired from the format, while Cummins and Hazlewood were unable to recover in time despite initially being part of the squad. The team also arrives on the back of a disappointing 0–3 series defeat to Pakistan, adding pressure ahead of their opening game.

Ireland, meanwhile, will be playing their second match of the tournament after suffering a loss to Sri Lanka on February 8. With qualification for the Super Eights stage in the 20-team competition at stake, another setback would significantly dent their chances of progressing.

The match will be played on Wednesday, February 11, from 3:00 PM IST at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and will be broadcast on JioStar Network channels, with live streaming available on JioHotstar.

The Colombo surface is expected to offer assistance to bowlers, particularly spinners. In the earlier game played at the venue during the tournament, only 306 runs were scored across two innings, suggesting a challenging track for batters.

Australia hold a dominant record over Ireland in T20 Internationals, having won both previous encounters between the sides. Their first meeting came in September 2012 and the most recent clash was in October 2022, with Australia emerging victorious on both occasions.

Australia are likely to field a lineup comprising Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Cooper Connolly, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa. Ireland’s probable combination includes Paul Stirling, Ross Adair, Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Ben Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Josh Little and Matthew Humphreys.

Among the players to watch, Travis Head remains a key figure for Australia at the top of the order. Known for his aggressive approach and ability to change the course of a game quickly, he will be eager to make an impact after a quiet tour of Pakistan. Adam Zampa could also play a crucial role, especially if the pitch favours spin, as Ireland struggled against Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers in their previous outing.

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