We take a look at the edges in Group B – Australia, Eire, Sri Lanka, Oman and Zimbabwe, – for the T20 World Cup, which is dwell on Sky Sports activities from February 7 to March 8.
Australia
Greatest end result: Champions (2021)
2024 end result: Knocked out in Tremendous 8s
How did they qualify in 2026? On efficiency in final T20 World Cup
Head coach: Andrew McDonald
Squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Inexperienced, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
Gamers to look at: Swashbuckling batter Travis Head is a person for the massive event, with a whole bunch serving to his nation win Ashes Assessments, a World Take a look at Championship ultimate and the 2023 50-over World Cup.
Australia’s Tim David smashed 102 from 37 balls towards West Indies final yr
Tim David, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh are additionally massive hitters, with David – who belted 102 off 37 balls towards West Indies in July – maybe the biggest of the lot.
Bowing-wise, Australia – swept 3-0 by Pakistan in a warm-up sequence – will depend on leg-spinner Adam Zampa, with Pat Cummins (again harm) lacking the match and query marks surrounding Josh Hazlewood after he sat out your entire Ashes with niggles.
The 35-year-old is about to sit down out at the very least the primary half of the match.
Spherical-one fixtures: vs Eire (February 11, Colombo); vs Zimbabwe (February 13, Colombo), vs Sri Lanka (February 16, Pallekele), vs Oman (February 20, Pallekele)
Eire
Greatest end result: Tremendous 8s/Tremendous 12s (2009, 2022)
2024 end result: Knocked out in first spherical
How did they qualify in 2026? Through T20 worldwide rating
Head coach: Heinrich Malan
Squad: Paul Stirling (captain), 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 Younger.
Gamers to look at: Captain and veteran batter Paul Stirling is the fifth-highest run scorer in males’s T20I historical past with over 3,800 to his title however will want help from Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker, you are feeling, if Eire are to press for the Tremendous 8s.
Eire spinner Matthew Humphreys is more likely to take the brand new ball on the World Cup
Curtis Campher is essential with bat and ball, whereas regulate canny left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys, too, a person Eire prefer to deploy with the brand new ball.
Spherical-one fixtures: vs Sri Lanka (February 8, Colombo); vs Australia (February 11, Colombo), vs Oman (February 14, Colombo), vs Zimbabwe (February 17,Pallekele)
Zimbabwe
Greatest end result: Tremendous 12s (2022)
2024 end result: Didn’t qualify
How did they qualify in 2026? Got here by means of African Qualifier
Head coach: Justin Sammons
Squad: Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor.
Gamers to look at: Skipper Sikandar Raza turns 40 in April however stays a constant performer. He can be aiming to again up a robust SA20 for Paarl Royals with the ball, when he picked up 15 wickets in 10 video games.
Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza is the heartbeat of his aspect
Raza will want very important contributions with the bat, too, alongside proficient teenager Brian Bennett, who hit three fifties and a ton as Zimbabwe received all 5 of their matches on the Africa Qualifier to achieve the match correct.
Bennett impressed towards England in Take a look at cricket final summer time, with a knock of 139 at Trent Bridge.
Spherical-one fixtures: vs Oman (February 9, Colombo); vs Australia (February 13, Colombo); vs Eire (February 17, Pallekele; vs Sri Lanka (February 19, Colombo)
Sri Lanka
Greatest end result: Champions (2014)
2024 end result: Knocked out in spherical one
How did they qualify in 2026? Co-hosting the match
Head coach: Sanath Jayasuriya
Squad (provisional): Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Rathnayake, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Traveen Mathew.
Pathum Nissanka is one among various eye-catching Sri Lanka batters
Gamers to look at: Sri Lanka had been unable to place a whole sport collectively too usually as they suffered white-ball defeats to England forward of the World Cup, with the duty for the likes of Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara to push on with the bat and never solely contribute glittering 30s and 40s. Going through spin was a problem.
The bowling assault is harmful with a number of bases lined, together with Wanindu Hasaranga’s leg-spin and Matheesha Pathirana’s shrewd slower deliveries, however the shoulder harm sustained by seamer Eshan Malinga is a blow.
Spherical-one fixtures: vs Eire (February 8, Colombo); vs Oman (February 12, Pallekele), vs Australia (February 16, Pallekele), vs Zimbabwe (February 19, Colombo)
Oman
Greatest end result: Spherical one (2016, 2021, 2024)
2024 end result: Knocked out in spherical one
How did they qualify in 2026? By Asia-Pacific Regional Last
Head coach: Duleep Mendis
Squad: Jatinder Singh (captain), Vinayak Shukla, Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmad, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Faisal Shah, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra, Shafiq Jan, Ashish Odedra, Jiten Ramanandi, Aamir Kaleem.
Will 44-year-old Aamir Kaleem make an affect for Oman?
Gamers to look at: Doing it for the previous guys is 44-year-old Aamir Kaleem, a late call-up following harm to Hasnain Shah. The spin-bowling all-rounder confirmed he has a lot left to present with a half-century towards India in final yr’s Asia Cup, and his expertise may very well be key. Captain Jatinder Singh, 36, is one other sensible head.
As for a youthful participant to observe, we’ll go for Nadeem Khan, 24, whose 11 wickets helped Oman by means of qualifying. He additionally contributed 30 not out off 16 balls in a crunch win over the UAE, so has multiple string to his bow.
Spherical-one fixtures: vs Zimbabwe (February 9, Colombo); vs Sri Lanka (February 12, Pallekele), vs Eire (February 14, Colombo), vs Australia (February 20, Pallekele)
Watch the Males’s T20 World Cup dwell on Sky Sports activities from February 7 to March 8. Get Sky Sports activities or stream contract-free with NOW.
