Ireland defeated Oman by 96 runs thanks to a brilliant, undefeated 94 from captain Lorcan Tucker in their T20 World Cup encounter in Colombo on Saturday.
Before dismissing Oman for 139, Ireland amassed a massive 235/5 thanks to Tucker’s exciting 51-ball knock, which was dotted with 10 boundaries and four sixes.
After Oman’s 38-year-old left-arm spinner Shakeel Ahmed (3/33) shocked Ireland with three top-order blows, leaving them reeling at 64 for four in the eighth over, Tucker was the one to steady the innings.
Prior to George Dockrell smashing an undefeated 35 off only nine balls, dotted with five sixes, to lead the team to an overwhelming total, the Ireland captain stitched together a crucial 101-run partnership with Gareth Delany (56), whose was the fifth wicket to fall.
The only batters to provide resistance were opener Aamir Kaleem (50 off 29 balls) and Hammad Mirza (46 off 37), as Oman struggled to keep up with Ireland’s scoring pace and lost wickets frequently.
But with a formidable target still in sight, their chase stumbled to 108 for five in the 13th over and eventually stalled out.
