Australia v Ireland, T20 World Cup: match preview

3h ago Jack Paynter, in Colombo

Get the broadcast info, latest team news, start times and more for Australia's tournament opener

Match facts

Who: Australia v Ireland

What: Match 14, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Group B

When: Wednesday, February 11. First ball 3pm local time (8.30pm AEDT)

Where: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Live scores: Match Centre

How to watch: Prime Video

How to listen: ABC Listen and SEN Radio

Officials: Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney (field), Kumar Dharmasena (third), Raveendra Wimalasiri (fourth), Richie Richardson (match referee)

News and reactions post-play: cricket.com.au and the CA Live app. The Unplayable Podcast will also be bringing listeners weekly World Cup updates during the group stage and will be joined by special guests to dissect all the talking points from the tournament, so make sure you're subscribed by clicking on your preferred platform below.

Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on iHeart Radio

Broadcast info

All 55 matches will again be shown exclusively live on Prime Video in Australia with the subscription streaming service holding the Aussie broadcast rights for all ICC events until the end of 2027. There is no free-to-air Australian television broadcast under the deal. You can sign up for Prime Video, as well as their 30-day free trial, here.

If joining the broadcast late, Prime Video offers a 'rapid recap' feature, which will bring fans up to speed on the best action so far. Prime Video will also produce on-demand highlights packages after every match along with full match replays, available immediately after the match has finished.

The squads

Australia: Mitch Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Star quicks Pat Cummins (back) and Josh Hazlewood (Achilles) have both been ruled out of the World Cup over the past week, with Nathan Ellis poised to lead the pace attack when he returns from his own hamstring injury that kept him out of the Hurricanes' BBL finals campaign. Left-armer Ben Dwarshuis replaced Cummins in the squad, while selectors are yet to nominate someone to fill Hazlewood's spot.

Paceman Hazlewood ruled out of T20 World Cup

Left-handed middle-order batter Matthew Renshaw scored a late call-up for the tournament just days after his T20 international debut when selectors dropped allrounder Matt Short from squad, preferencing the Queenslander's middle-order versatility.

'Grown up with it': Renshaw comes full circle in T20I call up

Captain Mitch Marsh will also have plenty of spin options at his disposal to get the most out of the Sri Lankan surfaces they'll play their four Group B matches on, with leg-spinner Adam Zampa complemented by left-armers Matthew Kuhnemann and Cooper Connolly, who joins fellow allrounders Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green in the 15-man group.

Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Ireland bears a look of experience and stability after retaining 12 out of their 15 squad members from the previous edition. Nine were also part of the XI that faced Australia in their most recent encounter in the 2022 T20 World Cup. One of the nation's cricketing greats in Paul Stirling is back leading the side with Lorcan Tucker named his deputy.

All the squads for Men's T20 World Cup 2026

Possible XIs

Australia: Mitch Marsh (c), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann

Fast bowler Nathan Ellis is pushing to be available for Australia's tournament opener, but star T20 blaster Tim David remains in some doubt and could be eased back into side as both players return from hamstring injuries suffered during the Big Bash. Meanwhile, the big call selectors will need to make is which spinner gets the nod alongside Adam Zampa – Matthew Kuhnemann or Cooper Connolly, or both?

Ellis conquers 'internal battle' to graduate to senior Aussie role

Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, Ben Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys

Ireland have traditionally lined up with handy bowling allrounders through their lower middle-order, like they did against co-hosts Sri Lanka in their tournament opener. Spinners Gareth Delany and George Dockrell and seamer Mark Adair can provide useful runs at the back end of the innings as well as four overs with the ball.

Left-armer Matthew Humphreys gives captain Paul Stirling a third spinner on a conducive Premadasa Stadium surface, while Barry McCarthy provides another pace option. And powerful allrounder Curtis Campher is coming off a half-century in their last match prior to the World Cup against the UAE last month.

Australia v Ireland history

Australia and Ireland men's sides have played each other only once in any format in the past decade, in Brisbane during the 2022 T20 World Cup that the home sides won by 42 runs. They've only met twice in T20 internationals, both at World Cups, with Australia winning both matches comfortably. The first of those meetings in 2012 came at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where Wednesday's Group B clash will also be played.

Ireland have never beaten Australia in seven white-ball internationals (one no result) dating back to the 2007 ODI World Cup in the Caribbean. The closest they've come was during a rain-affected bilateral ODI in Belfast in 2015 when they got within 23 runs of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern target, while they were bowled out 39 runs shy of the Australia's 9-231 in a 2010 ODI in Dublin.

Group B latest

Co-hosts Sri Lanka have made the early running in Group B after holding off a spirited Ireland run chase at R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday night. Set 164 to win, the Irish run chase was on track until they collapsed in the final five over to lose by 20 runs. Zimbabwe and Oman are the next to get going at Colombo's SSC Ground on Monday with Australia getting an extra two days' preparation on their Group B rivals as the last of the 20 competing teams to kick off their World Cup campaign. The top two teams after each nation has played their four group matches will progress to the Super Eight stage.

Players to watch

Adam Zampa (Australia): While Australia struggled, the star leg-spinner flourished in the ragging spin conditions in Lahore last week with five wickets in 10 overs for the series, including 4-24 in the first T20. Zampa has been declared fit for Australia's World Cup opener against Ireland after brushing off a groin complaint that limited him to two overs in the third T20 against Pakistan.

Matthew Humphreys (Ireland): The left-arm finger spinner was Ireland's leading bowler in their five T20 matches this year prior to the World Cup, taking hauls of 4-16 against Italy and 3-23 against the UAE in Dubai last month. His 10 in those two series victories came at an economy rate of 5.94, striking once every 11.40 ball bowled. Will be looking to bounce back on the spin-friendly Sri Lanka surfaces where all Group B matches will take place after conceding 44 runs from four overs to start his tournament against Sri Lanka on Sunday.

Local knowledge

Australia have a strong T20 record at Premadasa Stadium having won seven of their nine matches at the Colombo venue, including a seven-wicket victory over Ireland at the 2012 T20 World Cup. Australia have batted second in each of those nine games, which have typically been low scoring, evident by their highest score at the venue being 2-147.

Spin bowling has dominated here, responsible to almost half the wickets to fall, and operating at an economy rate on average almost one-and-a-half runs fewer than their pace counterparts. Ireland sent down 13 overs of spin in the first match of the tournament at the venue, before Sri Lanka responded with 12 overs of spin of their own, with Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga taking three wickets each.

Form guide

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, N: No result

Australia: LLLNLLWNWN

Mitch Marsh's side haven't won any of their past five completed matches, smashed 0-3 by Pakistan in Lahore leading into the T20 World Cup after also losing to tournament favourites India 1-2 at home last year. Have endured three washouts in their past 10 matches, with their scheduled warm-up match against Netherlands in Colombo last Thursday also suffering the same fate. Prior to the India series, Australia had won 16 of 18 completed T20 internationals since the 2024 World Cup, including series sweeps of Scotland, Pakistan and West Indies.

Ireland: LWWLWWLLWL

Ireland were a red-hot chance of beating Sri Lanka in their World Cup opener until losing 7-30 late in their chase to fall 20 runs short at Premadasa Stadium on Sunday night. They entered the tournament in fine form however, defeating the UAE 2-0 and Italy 2-1 in T20 series in Dubai in January. But Paul Stirling's side didn't fare as well against full-member opponents late last year, losing to Bangladesh 1-2 away and 0-2 to England at home in Dublin in September.

2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup

Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Sean Abbott