🏏 ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Zim vs Ireland 32nd match 🏏 - Page 2

Thanks for the tag, Soni!

Cheering for Zimbabwe today! Aussies in super eights might not be a good outcome. They are one team jiska pasa kabhi bhi palat sakti hai!

Group B could all be decided today. Or it could be thrown wide open again to possibilities. Which path will it end up taking? Let's find out!

This is Match 32, and the brief could not be more straightforward for Zimbabwe, who need only a win to enter promised land, even as Ireland, now carrying the hopes of a nation other than theirs, hope to play party-poopers and by extension, keep theirs going for a couple of days (at least).

A couple of years ago, Zimbabwe missed out on the biggest T20I party on the planet. A moment that would have hurt them, and would have made them wonder what the future holds. But now, their redemption arc is almost complete. Zimbabwe are almost there. Within touching distance of the next stage, and within touching distance of where they would feel they should have been all along - among the Super Eights, and the elite.

But such are the idiosyncrasies of this tournament and its format that Ireland could yet get there. They have to rely on a whole host of results going their way, but they still have a shot, although that depends heavily on whether they can hold up their end of the bargain. And Ireland, because of what has happened elsewhere in this group and in this beautiful island country, are not just playing for themselves anymore, but for Australia and their slender qualification hopes as well.

It's a straightforward job at hand for Zimbabwe. Win today's game against Ireland and book their place in the Super-8s. A loss isn't going to be terminal, but that would put them under pressure going into the last game against hosts Sri Lanka. Sikandar Raza's men have played the conditions superbly so far and their win against Australia came on the back of all-round discipline. The top-order has been amongst the runs and Blessing Muzarabani has led the bowling chart with aplomb. On the big grounds in Colombo, the emphasis was more on running between the wickets and posting a fighting score - two things that they did superbly - but they're now in Pallekele, a venue which has seen plenty of runs in the two matches played so far. Sri Lanka chased down Australia's 181 with two overs to spare in yesterday's night match. This is a day game today, but don't expect conditions to change drastically. Up against them today are the Irish men - they haven't set the tournament on fire, but they still have a 1% chance of qualification. The pressure though is off them and that does help. They posted a tournament high of 235 in the last match against Oman and they will be looking at one more green tick against their name today.

Zimbabwe have brought in Ben Curran as a replacement player for Brendan Taylor, but don't expect any changes. Neither will Ireland be forced into a change, especially after their convincing performance against Oman. Toss isn't going to be a factor today and the pitch should be full of runs.

Oh no, it's raining and toss is going to be delayed. Pls no rainn!! Rain rain go away.

Low noise but high stakes - The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2026, is fast approaching the climax of the group stage, and the race for Super 8 is only going to get intense from here on. Pallekele gets ready once again for a very important game in Group B as Ireland take on Zimbabwe in an afternoon game. Both teams have winning momentum with them as Ireland, finally, after two big losses, opened their account last time around, while the Chevrons are on a completely different trajectory, winning two in two.

Order nowhere in sight - Group B has turned into a beautifully unpredictable mess. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are setting the pace, while Australia are stuck in a position they rarely find themselves in, searching for a way back. Ireland, though dangling precariously, still possess mathematical possibilities for a top two finish. Several factors need to fall into place, certainly, but this sport loves serving up shocking twists.

Chevrons stay dialled in - Zimbabwe may not always go the distance in tournaments or dominate bilateral series, but they have a knack for producing moments that stick in the ICC events. Every so often, they rise, catch bigger sides off guard, and carve out results that live on. The win over Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup was one such statement. And now, toppling the mighty Australians again, echoing 2007 and reliving it in 2026, adds another chapter to their growing collection of unforgettable cricketing memories.

The engine room is humming fine - Be it bowling or batting, Zimbabwe have shown good composure across departments so far, but it is important to keep that momentum going. Bowling-wise, they have been near clinical in both matches. More importantly, bowling both their opponents out. At the heart of it, Blessing Muzarabani towers literally and figuratively as Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-taker with seven scalps. Brad Evans follows closely with a couple of three-fors, while Richard Ngarava chips in reliably. The pace attack has looked sharp, well-oiled, and ready to do the heavy lifting. On the batting front, Brian Bennett has been the steady heartbeat, opening with a composed 48 against Oman before delivering a quality 64 against Australia. Experienced campaigners Ryan Burl and Sikandar Raza have displayed stability, ensuring Zimbabwe’s innings rarely falter. Remarkably, they have lost just four wickets across two matches, a clear sign of balance and momentum.

Walking a tight rope - Despite a thumping 96-run win against Oman, the Irishmen know that the margin for error is next to zero now as they gear up for their last league match. They have lost two, and both comprehensively while chasing. A win here is a non-negotiable, as a defeat will see them take the exit door. Ireland’s success largely came through Lorcan Tucker’s fine and a selfless 94 off just 51 balls, and the crucial middle and lower order contributions have saved them from bigger embarrassment. That top order, though, has been a constant headache, collapsing too often inside the Powerplay and forcing Ireland to fight from the edge every single game. They have lost eight wickets inside the Powerplay across three matches and leaving the team’s starts far from stable.

Two stalwarts ruled out - Both Zimbabwe and Ireland will enter the field without two of their most prolific batters. Ireland will be without Paul Stirling as he is ruled out, after suffering ligament damage in his right knee. Whereas Brendan Taylor won’t be a part of the World Cup due to a serious hamstring injury. Both veterans had missed their previous games already, but their absence surely creates a void in experience.

Thanks for the tag Soni!

May the best team win.

Cheers..

A million-dollar clash - The road to the Super Eights in Group B doesn't just pass through Pallekele, it bottlenecks right here. Yesterday, Sri Lanka sealed their spot in the next stage with a stunning run chase against Australia, and in doing so, they cracked the door wide open for everyone else. Welcome to our coverage of match number 32 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2026. Second-placed Zimbabwe take on fourth-placed Ireland, and this is where Group B's fate gets decided.

Three-way fight - If Ireland win, they move up to third and keep their qualification hopes alive, but it will come with conditions applied. Edging past Zimbabwe might not be quite enough, as they will aim to win convincingly and boost that net run rate to be on the safer side. And here's where it gets interesting. A loss today doesn't knock Zimbabwe out completely because they have one more match against Sri Lanka coming up, on 19th February.

But then, that final game becomes a must-win for them against a tough opposition. And if Zimbabwe win the match, it's game over for both Australia and Ireland. No ifs, no buts, no complicated calculations. Zimbabwe move forward, and the other two head home. Simple as that. So, to put it simply, whatever the result of this game is, it will have direct implications on Australia’s chances as well.

What about the pitch and weather? Pallekele has been a far better place for the batters. In two games played here so far, we have seen big scores, with Sri Lanka scoring a mammoth 225 in the morning game against Oman. Last evening, too, it was a high-scoring yet another one-sided clash between Sri Lanka and Australia at this venue.

But this is the subcontinent, and you can never really escape spin. No matter how friendly the pitch looks for batting, there's always that threat lurking, especially as the match progresses and the surface wears. There's one more thing to keep an eye on, though.

The forecast for Pallekele isn't entirely clear. Thunderstorms and rain are predicted during match hours, and that's the last thing this tournament needs right now. Hopefully, the weather gods will cooperate and we get to see this crucial clash play out in full.

Pls, no 5 over match... Or worse yet, match getting washed out! 😔

Only two spots left - The fight for Super Eights has further narrowed down as NEW ZEALAND HAVE BEATEN CANADA in Chennai to book their spot. They become the sixth team to advance to the next stage. They chased down the target of 174 with absolute comfort, having eight wickets in the bank and 29 balls to spare.

An unbeaten swashbuckling 146-run partnership between Glenn Phillips (76 off 36 balls) and Rachin Ravindra (59 off 39 balls) just blew away Canada.

So this is how it looks for the Super Eights - India from Group A, Sri Lanka from Group B, West Indies and England from Group C, and South Africa and New Zealand from Group D are the teams to make it through.