T20 WC: ‘We turned it around and played with positivity,’ says Tucker after Ireland’s 96-run win
Colombo, Feb 14 (LatestNewsX) Ireland captain and Player of the Match Lorcan Tucker said that his side’s positive attitude helped them register a commanding 96-run win over Oman in their third match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Saturday.
Coming off a disappointing outing in their previous game, Ireland bounced back in style, posting 235/5 in 20 overs before bowling Oman out for 139 in 18 overs. Tucker led from the front with an unbeaten 94, narrowly missing out on a century as later Joshua Little picked 3-16 to seal an emphatic victory.
“Previous game wasn’t one of our best days. Things didn’t work out for us, but we just turned it around and played with positivity today. We knew they were a good side. We’ve played against them before and we haven’t always beaten them. They’re competitive. It’s important to respect your opposition,” Tucker said after the match.
Ireland lost early wickets after being put in to bat, but Tucker stitched together a match-defining 101-run partnership with Gareth Delany, who smashed 56 off 30 balls. George Dockrell then provided the late flourish with a nine-ball 35 to propel Ireland to the highest first-innings total of the ongoing tournament.
Reflecting on the batting effort, Tucker admitted the power play was a mixed phase. “We hit a lot of boundaries and probably lost a few more wickets than we had planned to. But we were just trying to keep the momentum moving. The pitch was good, the outfield was quick, and we tried to capitalise where we could.”
Lorcan, who is captaining the side for the first time in the tournament, also spoke about the leadership role.
“It’s maybe a little tougher than batting at the start. There’s more responsibility, especially if we lose wickets early. I’ve grown into it and gotten more familiar with batting against spin through the middle. I had to put a lot of work in, but luckily it came off today,” he said.
With the win significantly boosting Ireland’s net run rate, Tucker believes the team remains in contention for the Super 8 stage.
“Morale is massive. We needed to come here and win today and put in a good performance. We’re not out of the competition yet, but we need some things to go our way. A bit of a boost for our run rate won’t do any harm.”
Ireland will play their last match in the group stage on February 17 against Zimbabwe at Pallekele International Stadium.
sds/
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
