Sri Lanka to host Group B matches of T20 World Cup
Sri Lanka will host all Group B matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, featuring former champions Sri Lanka and Australia alongside Ireland, Oman and Zimbabwe, as teams gear up for a competitive group phase across Colombo and Kandy.
Hyderabad: Sri Lanka hosts exclusively the Group B matches of the T-20 World Cup featuring two former champions Sri Lanka, looking to match the exploits of the 2014 side, and Australia.
The 2021 champions Australia, currently ranked second in the world, as well as Ireland, Oman and Zimbabwe, according to an ICC media release on Wednesday.
Australia
Mitchell Marsh leads an Australian team that is packed with power in the batting line-up and bags of experience with the ball.
And yet Australia’s recent record at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has been mixed.
The Australians have made it through to the semi-finals just once since 2012, although on that occasion, they did go all the way, getting the better of New Zealand in the final in 2021.
Marsh was the star of the show that day, scoring 77 in the final, and leads the team for his second straight tournament.
The likes of Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green provide the firepower with the bat, while much will be expected of Australia’s spinners Adam Zampa and Cooper Connolly.
Kicking things off against Ireland, Australia will be keen for a fast start and a return to the knockout stages for the first time since 2021.
Ireland
Ireland have appeared at every ICC Men’s T20 World Cup bar the very first and will be hoping to make it through to the Super 8 stage.
They last progressed from the first round in 2022, in a tournament in which they handed eventual champions England their only defeat.
Paul Stirling leads the team once more, having featured at every previous World Cup in which they have participated.
He has plenty of experience alongside him, with the likes of veteran spinner George Dockrell and wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker.
Josh Little has been a shining light with the ball since he first broke through, while 23-year-old spinner Matthew Humphreys has caught the eye in recent encounters with the UAE and Italy.
Oman
Oman will appear on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup stage for the fourth time in India and Sri Lanka after coming through the Asia & East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier.
On two of their three previous appearances, Oman have secured a win at the tournament, including beating Ireland in their very first game back in 2016 on debut.
Jatinder Singh will captain the side and open the batting, and will receive plenty of support from vice-captain and wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla.
Oman’s strength may well be their bowling, with Jiten Ramanandi, Sufyan Mehmood and Nadeem Khan having all enjoyed plenty of success in the Qualifier.
Between Aamir Khaleem and Mohammad Nadeem, who are 44 and 43 respectively, Oman have the two oldest players in the tournament.
Sri Lanka
Over the first five editions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka reached three finals and another semi-final.
The 2014 winners have struggled to match that success in the last decade however and endured their worst result two years ago in the Caribbean when they lost their first two matches to South Africa and Bangladesh and bowed out in the group stage.
Back on home soil, they will be looking to challenge at the sharp end of the competition and will know the conditions in Colombo and Kandy better than anyone.
Dasun Shanaka captains the side and Sri Lanka’s bowling attack could be dangerous with the combination of Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesha Pathirana and Dushmantha Chameera.
They will need the batters to hold up their end of the bargain, with opener Pathum Nissanka showing some form in recent white-ball series against England, as did the hugely experienced Kusal Mendis.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe return to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after missing the last edition of the tournament two years ago.
While there are plenty of familiar faces with skipper Sikandar Raza and wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, it is the youngest player in the squad who played a big part in seeing Zimbabwe through the African Qualifier.
Brian Bennett is just 22, but was in the form of his life on home soil as he scored three half-centuries and a hundred to clinch Zimbabwe’s place.
He followed that up with some good knocks in a tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in November and may hold the key to Zimbabwe springing a surprise this time around.
Zimbabwe upset eventual finalists Pakistan four years ago and will be targeting a quick start against Oman before they take on group favourites Australia in their second fixture.
