Australia made a commanding start to their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, defeating Ireland by 67 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday, February 11.
Despite missing captain Mitchell Marsh on the field, the Aussies delivered a clinical all-round performance to open their account in style.
Ellis strikes early to derail Ireland
Defending 183, Australia’s bowlers wasted no time asserting control. Ireland’s chase suffered an immediate setback when skipper Paul Stirling retired hurt after facing the first ball, aggravating a hamstring injury sustained while fielding.
Matthew Kuhnemann provided the initial breakthrough, with Harry Tector chipping a catch to Cameron Green at cover. Nathan Ellis then took charge, dismantling the Irish top order with clever variations. He removed Ross Adair (12 off 9) with a slower delivery that crashed into the stumps and, two balls later, induced Curtis Campher to hole out to mid-wicket.
Ellis continued the carnage, finishing with superb figures of 4/12 as Benjamin Calitz chopped one back onto his stumps, leaving Ireland reeling at 27/4 inside five overs.
Adam Zampa compounded Ireland’s misery. Exploiting the conditions expertly, the leg-spinner mixed his pace and lengths to great effect, returning 4/23 — his third-best figures in T20 internationals. Ireland were eventually bundled out for 115 in 16.5 overs.
Stoinis, Renshaw steady the ship
Earlier, Australia posted 182/6 after being asked to bat. Stand-in captain Travis Head fell cheaply for 6 (7), misjudging a quick single that led to his run-out. Josh Inglis responded aggressively, smashing 37 off 17 balls in the powerplay before George Dockrell halted his charge.
The middle overs saw Australia wobble at 88/4, with Glenn Maxwell (9 off 9) and Cameron Green (21 off 11) departing in quick succession. Marcus Stoinis and Matt Renshaw then rebuilt the innings with a crucial 61-run partnership off 44 balls for the fifth wicket. Stoinis narrowly missed a half-century, falling for a brisk 45 (29) to Mark Adair, while Renshaw contributed a steady 37 off 33.
Late cameos from Cooper Connolly (11* off 8) and Xavier Bartlett (11* off 6) ensured Australia crossed the 180-run mark — a total that proved far beyond Ireland’s reach. With pace and spin working in tandem, Australia sent an early warning to the rest of the field with a dominant opening display.
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