Australia vs Oman, 40th Match, Group B, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 - Commentary

On that note, it’s time to shift focus to the Super 8s, which begin tomorrow. New Zealand take on Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium at 7 PM local time. Do remember to tune in for what promises to be an exciting contest. Until then, cheers and goodbye from the team of Raju Peethala, Nikhil Jadhav, Sri Krishna and Praveen Kumar.

There is hardly any ICC event that Australia walk into without carrying the favourites tag. They have been that dominant for nearly three decades, and this tournament was no different. However, they were dealt a few major setbacks along the way. Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were ruled out through injury, while skipper Mitchell Marsh missed the first two games for the same reason. The situation was further compounded when Mitchell Starc announced his retirement from T20s less than six months before the mega event. That said, Australia still had plenty of experience within the squad. Yet, they were outplayed by both Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, who have progressed to the Super 8s from Group B. As for Oman, their campaign has been a forgettable one - comprehensively beaten in all four matches and bow out with the worst net run rate among all teams in this World Cup.

Mitchell Marsh | Australian skipper: Probably just the sense of a missed opportunity (talking about what's going on in his mind right now). As I’ve said a few times, it’s a bitterly disappointed change room. Like every team, we built towards this for two years. Unfortunately, in a couple of key games, we just didn’t play our best cricket - and that’s tournament play. You lose a game like the one against Zimbabwe, and suddenly you’re under pressure. Credit to them, they played well, but we’re a very disappointed group right now. I don’t think conditions were the main issue. In Colombo, it was slow, but we had prepared for that. I still believe we had the squad to get the job done. But in tournament cricket, if you’re even slightly off, you can lose a game that puts you on the back foot. Over the last couple of weeks, there were good opportunities for us, but we just weren’t able to deliver when it mattered most. That’s where leadership becomes important (Answering - How do you ensure the response isn’t purely emotional and instead constructive going forward?). The leaders within Cricket Australia and within the playing group will sit down and assess things properly. As players and as a team, we’ll look at how we can keep improving. If we’re fortunate enough to get another opportunity as a group, we want to make sure we’re better for this experience. When you fail, there are always learnings. It hurts right now, and we’re disappointed with how it’s unfolded. But we’ll go home, reflect honestly, and move forward.

Jatinder Singh | Oman skipper: I think it’s a proud moment for all of us to have had the opportunity to play in a World Cup. The results and the overall journey may not have gone our way, but everyone in the group is truly grateful for the experience. If I’m honest, I would reflect a little on our preparations. They weren’t quite at the level we needed. We lacked the kind of exposure and support that helps you compete consistently at this level. We wanted to play more competitive cricket against stronger opposition, but instead we played mostly domestic cricket, and that standard doesn’t fully prepare you for a tournament like this. That’s where we probably fell short. That said, the boys gave everything. The results aren’t always in your control, but the effort certainly was - and I’m proud of the team for that. Now that we’ve experienced this stage, we understand what it takes to compete here. We’ve learned what ingredients are required to perform at a World Cup. There are a lot of lessons to take away, and plenty of positives as well, especially from competing against strong opposition. The aim now is to use those learnings and build towards coming back stronger next time. First of all, we’re incredibly grateful. It’s an honour to represent Oman and play for the country. The support we’ve received from fans across the globe has been tremendous, and we truly appreciate it. Thank you so much for standing by us. With your continued support, I’m confident we’ll bounce back stronger.

Travis Head in T20Is post T20 WC 2024
vs pace: 333(178), 10 dismissals, Avg: 33.3, SR: 187.07
vs spin: 91(67), 8 dismissals, Avg: 11.37, SR: 135.82

Oman at T20 WC 2026 (overall tournament aggregate)
Avg runs/wicket: 11.94 (24.46)
Run/rate: 6.28 (8.52)
Balls/dismissals: 11.4 (17.2)
Bowling average: 55.33 (25.89)
Bowling SR: 31.5 (18.4)
ER: 10.53 (8.42)

They rank 20th (last) on all above parameters.

Captains with consecutive 50-plus scores at T20 WC
3 - Babar Azam in 2021
2 - Shoaib Malik in 2007
2 - Rohit Sharma in 2024
2* - Shai Hope in 2026
2* - Mitchell Marsh in 2026

Most consecutive defeats at T20 WC
10 - Bangladesh (2007 - 2012)
10* - Oman (2021 - 2026)
7 - Namibia (2024-2026)
7 - Ireland (2022 - 2026)
7 - PNG (2021 - 2024)

Most balls remaining in a successful 100-plus chase at T20 WC
62 (T: 116) - ENG vs USA, Bridgetown, 2024
62 (T: 105) - AUS vs OMAN, Pallekele, 2026
58 (T:102) - AUS vs SL, Cape Town, 2007
55 (T: 129) - WI vs USA, Bridgetown, 2024
50 (T:126) - ENG vs AUS, Dubai, 2021

Most POTM awards in T20 WC
8 - Virat Kohli
6 - Adam Zampa
5 - Chris Gayle
5 - Mahela Jayawardene
5 - Shane Watson

Adam Zampa | Player of the Match: To be honest, mate, it’s been a really tough few days. There are some pretty quiet voices around the group right now. We’re feeling flat about the World Cup ending so early for us. We genuinely felt we’d built something over the last few years and had a clear brand of cricket we believed would stand up. Unfortunately, when the pressure came, it just didn’t work for us. So it’s disappointing. I think that did happen a little bit. But looking back, I also feel I could’ve done more - particularly in that game where we were one for 110. You’d expect a much bigger total than 180 from that position. My contribution in that match wasn’t where I wanted it to be, and I’m not happy with that. As I said, players sitting on me definitely played a part, but from my point of view, I could’ve executed better, especially in the last game. My job is to take wickets through the middle overs. I managed to do that in a couple of games, but not consistently enough. We’ve built something over the last few years, and in big tournaments everyone has to play their role. Unfortunately, when it mattered most, we couldn’t quite get it done. You’d always rather take wickets than not, but honestly, it’s not really on my mind right now. I’m pretty disappointed overall. I’m certainly not ready to be flying home tomorrow.

21:25 local, 15:55 GMT, 21:25 IST: Australia saved their best for last, but unfortunately for them, it ultimately counted for nothing. Opting to bowl first, they were sharp from the very first delivery and completely dismantled Oman’s batting line-up, bundling them out inside 17 overs with a clinical all-round bowling effort. Adam Zampa led the charge with a superb four-wicket haul, while Xavier Bartlett and Glenn Maxwell picked up two wickets each. Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Ellis chipped in with one apiece to complete a dominant bowling performance. Chasing a severely under-par target of just 105, Australia’s destructive opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head made an absolute mockery of the chase. The duo came out with clear intent, attacking from the outset and never allowing Oman any chance to claw their way back. Their explosive start turned what could have been a routine pursuit into a statement of dominance. In the process, Australia also equalled England’s record for the fastest chase of a 100-plus target in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup - a remarkable statistical feat that underlined just how ruthless they were with the bat. It was a commanding performance from start to finish, even if, in the larger context of the tournament, it arrived a little too late to make a meaningful difference. Stick around for the post-match reactions...