Sri Lanka to Host Group B Matches of the T20 World Cup

Hyderabad: Sri Lanka will host the Group B matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, featuring two former champions—Sri Lanka and Australia—both aiming to recreate past glory. According to an ICC media release issued on Wednesday, Australia, the 2021 champions and currently ranked second in the world, are joined in the group by Ireland, Oman, and Zimbabwe.

Australia

Mitchell Marsh leads an Australian side packed with power and experience. However, Australia’s recent T20 World Cup record has been mixed. Since 2012, they have reached the semi-finals only once—making the most of it in 2021 by defeating New Zealand in the final.
Marsh was the star on that occasion, scoring 77 in the final, and he captains the side for a second consecutive tournament.

The batting lineup boasts heavy hitters such as Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green, while expectations are also high from spinners Adam Zampa and Cooper Connolly. Australia will look to start strongly against Ireland and return to the knockout stages for the first time since 2021.

Ireland

Ireland have featured in every ICC Men’s T20 World Cup except the inaugural edition and will be eyeing a place in the Super 8s. They last progressed beyond the first round in 2022, a tournament in which they handed eventual champions England their only defeat.

Paul Stirling once again leads the team, continuing a run of appearances at every World Cup he has played. Ireland bring experience through players like spinner George Dockrell and wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker.
Fast bowler Josh Little continues to impress, while 23-year-old spinner Matthew Humphreys has caught attention with strong performances against the UAE and Italy.

Oman

Oman return to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup stage for the fourth time, qualifying via the Asia and East Asia-Pacific (EAP) route. They have won two of their previous three matches at the tournament, including a memorable victory over Ireland in their debut game in 2016.

Jatinder Singh will captain and open the batting, supported by vice-captain and wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla. Oman’s strength could lie in their bowling attack, with Jiten Ramananndi, Sufiyan Mehmood, and Nadeem Khan enjoying success in the qualifiers.
Veterans Aamir Kaleem (44) and Mohammad Nadeem (43) make Oman home to two of the oldest players in the tournament.

Sri Lanka

In the first five editions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka reached three finals and one semi-final. However, the 2014 champions have struggled to replicate that success over the past decade. Their worst showing came two years ago in the Caribbean, where defeats to South Africa and Bangladesh saw them exit at the group stage.

Back on home soil, Sri Lanka will be keen to mount a serious challenge, with familiarity of conditions in Colombo and Kandy expected to be an advantage.
Captain Dasun Shanaka leads a potent bowling attack featuring Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana, and Dushmantha Chameera. The team will also look for strong batting contributions from opener Pathum Nissanka, who has shown recent form against England, and the experienced Kusal Mendis.

Zimbabwe

After missing the previous edition two years ago, Zimbabwe return to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The squad includes familiar names such as captain Sikandar Raza and wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, but it was the team’s youngest member who played a key role in qualification.

At just 22, Brian Bennett was in sensational form during the African qualifiers, scoring three half-centuries and a century. He followed that up with impressive knocks in a tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka last November and could be a key surprise package.

Zimbabwe famously defeated then-finalists Pakistan four years ago and will aim for a strong start against Oman, before taking on group favourites Australia in their second match.