Vanquished Australia eye winning end to dreadful World Cup campaign

In an alternate world, Australia would have been running final system checks in their last group game against Oman on February 20 before stepping into the world of Super Eights with a favourites tag in tow. But reality hasn't matched the lofty pre-tournament expectation, and has them packing bags and bracing themselves for a damning introspection.

It's jarring to see Australia being left behind in a white-ball World Cup - a blot in their enviable, unmatched heritage. But that said, they've failed to make the semis of five of the last six T20 World Cups - a complete reversal in fortunes from the 50-over tournament.

Amid accusations of not taking it too seriously, losing key players to injuries and retirement and a sharp assessment from Ricky Ponting, a former World Cup winner from their shores, Mitchell Marsh & Co. have to drag themselves to the middle one last time before being homeward bound. You could argue there's nothing riding on this game other than serving another reminder of Australia's fallacies and you'd be right. But Australia will want to believe that a win as a final act brings some peace with it, and the consolation of finishing third - just outside of the two qualifiers.

Oman, meanwhile, got to Sri Lanka in search of a memorable evening at the very least where they could upset the apple-cart. They've gone 0 for 3 so far, but there will be murmurs in their camp of setting out in search of it again, against the vulnerable former champions.

When: Oman vs Australia, 40th Match, Group C, February 20, 7 PM IST

Where: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium

What to expect: There's predicted thunderstorms one hour into the fixture. If rain stays away, there should be big runs on offer. The only other 7 pm start here saw Australia post 181 and Sri Lanka chase it down with two overs to spare.

Team News:

Australia

Steve Smith flew all the way to Sri Lanka as a replacement player, so he's likely to get a go in the final game of the tournament for the Aussies.

Probable XI: Mitchell Marsh (c), Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Tim David, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa

Oman

Oman made a couple of changes in the last two fixtures without success. Shakeel Ahmed went in and out of the side in the three games, but picked three wickets against Ireland and should keep his place. Jatinder might look at giving top-order batter Karan Sonavale another go.

Probable XI: Aamir Kaleem, Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Ashish Odedara/Karan Sonavale, Mohammad Nadeem, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed

Did you know:

- Oman have the second-most consecutive defeats in T20 World Cups (9 from 2021 to 2026)

- Jatinder Singh has 1618 runs at a strike rate of 120.47 for Oman

- Australia in T20Is post T20 World Cup 2024: Before India series: 19 matches, 16 wins, 2 defeats, 1 NR, W/L: 8 | Since India series: 11 matches, 2 wins, 7 defeats, 2 NR, W/L: 0.285

What they said:

"100%, it is an opportunity [playing Australia now]. And our boys are looking forward to it. Because T20 is a game of momentum and moments. If you play those moments right, you can do anything on that particular day. So Australia are not doing well at the moment. As you have rightly said, it is the best time to crush them." - Oman captain Jatinder Singh