COLOMBO: Their Super Eight hopes all but over after two consecutive defeats, Ireland will look for inspiration from skipper Paul Stirling when they take on Oman in a T20 World Cup Group B contest here on Saturday.
Both teams have lost their opening two matches and will be desperate to register their first victory of the tournament.
Ireland went down to co-hosts Sri Lanka by 20 runs and were then beaten by Australia by 67 runs, while Oman were trounced by Zimbabwe by eight wickets before suffering a 105-run defeat against Sri Lanka.
On the basis of big tournament experience, Ireland will start as favourites against Oman, a side that mostly consists of players of Indian and Pakistan origin.
Ireland know they will have to win big to keep their slim chances of staying in the tournament alive, while Oman will be looking to prove a point after two heavy losses.
Ireland have struggled with the bat so far, with Stirling yet to fire in the competition, and much will depend on the captain rediscovering his form to help his side post a substantial total.
Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker and Curtis Campher have shown promise but will need to convert their starts into significant scores to strengthen Ireland’s batting, which has looked fragile in both defeats.
Left arm spinner George Dockrell has been Ireland’s most effective bowler in terms of economy and wickets, but he will need support from fast bowlers Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy, as well as spinners Matthew Humphreys and Gareth Delany.
Oman, meanwhile, have nothing to lose and will hope for a strong all round display to upset Ireland and secure their maiden win of the tournament.
Ireland hold a clear advantage in the head to head record, having won four of their last five meetings. Oman’s only victory over Ireland came in October 2019.
Oman have also struggled with the bat, managing totals of just 103 and 120 for nine against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka respectively.
Making their fourth appearance at the T20 World Cup, Oman have found conditions in Colombo challenging, particularly against pace and extra bounce.
They will need a strong batting effort from Jatinder Singh, Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza and big hitter Vinayak Shukla to be competitive.
Mohammad Nadeem, who did not play the tournament opener against Zimbabwe, fought a lone battle against Sri Lanka with a half century, but his effort was not enough.
Oman will need to quickly address their batting frailties if they are to spring a surprise similar to their debut campaign in 2016, when they defeated Ireland.
A much improved performance with the bat is essential if Oman are to give their bowling attack, their stronger suit, something to defend.
The teams (from):
Ireland: 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 (wicketkeeper), Ben White, Craig Young.
Oman: Jatinder Singh (captain), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wicketkeeper), Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed, Mohammad Nadeem, Jay Odedra, Ashish Odedara, Shafiq Jan.
The match starts at 11 am.