Pallekele International Cricket Stadium: A ruthless bowling effort spearheaded by Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, and Glenn Maxwell dismantled Oman for a modest 104 in just 16.2 overs as Australia took firm control of the 40th match of the T20 World Cup 2026, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Friday.After Marsh asked them to bat first, Oman had an absolute nightmare of a game right from the first ball.
The first ball of the match indicated the momentum of what was to come. The first ball bowled by Bartlett was the first wicket to fall, that of Aamir Kaleem, with a golden duck, and the innings effectively started from there for Oman.
The team got jolted immediately; however, Jatinder Singh and Karan Sonavale tried to steady the ship with a partnership of 24 runs, although the resistance did not last long. Nathan Ellis struck during the Power-play when he took Karan’s wicket for 12 runs.
Jatinder was the most composed batsman during the first order of batters, and as soon as he got out for 17 runs, it exposed the fact of a weak middle order. The pressure then mounted in the eighth over of the innings when Zampa bowled an incredible delivery that cleaned up Hammad Mirza, with an incredible flight and turn.
It also marked the first time in the history of the T20 World Cup that the top four batters had all been bowled out, and it was indicative of the quality of bowling from Australia and the technical difficulties that the Oman batting lineup faced.
With the scoreboard reading 69 for 5, the innings were in trouble. Wasim Ali tried to report it, scoring 32 off 33 balls in a solitary effort for respect. However, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Australia’s bowlers showed consistent discipline, mixing pace and spin to keep Oman under pressure.
Although Oman narrowly passed the 100-run mark, they never looked likely to set a challenging total. The innings ended for just 104 runs in 16.2 overs, marking a complete disaster with the bat and putting Australia firmly in control as they prepared to chase.
Adam Zampa was the top performer for Australia, finishing with impressive figures of 4/21. He received good support from Glenn Maxwell, who took 2/13, and Xavier Bartlett, who had 2/27.
Oman 104 all out in 16.2 overs (Wasim Ali 32, Jatinder Singh 17; Adam Zampa 4-21, Glenn Maxwell 2-13, Xavier Bartlett 2-27) against Australia
Article Source: IANS