The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 heats up today, February 14, 2026, as Ireland faces Oman in the 22nd match of the tournament. The match takes place at the historic Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo. Both teams are in a tough position, having lost their first two matches. For Ireland, the situation is worsened by the absence of a key player.
The big news in Colombo is the absence of Ireland’s captain, Paul Stirling. Before the toss, it was confirmed that he will miss today’s game and the rest of the World Cup due to injury.
Why is Paul Stirling not playing today?
Stirling is out due to a serious knee ligament injury sustained during the previous game against Australia. He injured himself while making a diving catch to dismiss Josh Inglis. He landed awkwardly, resulting in damage to his right knee.
Despite his injury, Stirling tried to bat during the 183-run chase, but the pain became clear quickly. After facing just one ball, his knee gave way while attempting a quick run, and he had to leave the field. Medical scans later revealed ligament damage that requires immediate rest and rehabilitation.
Lorcan Tucker, who is filling in as captain, expressed the team’s disappointment at the toss, calling it a “massive shame” to lose such an important player.
“You have to think positively in these situations. We see this as a chance to gain momentum going into our next game against Zimbabwe. Losing Paul is unfortunate, but it’s something we have to deal with,” Tucker said.
Playing XI of both teams
Oman: Aamir Kaleem, Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Ashish Odedara, Mohammad Nadeem, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed
Ireland: Ross Adair, Tim Tector, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk/c), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Joshua Little
