Aus vs Ire: Australia Post 182/6 In 14th Match of T20 World Cup 2026

Australia overcame a late injury blow to captain Mitchell Marsh and fielded a reshuffled XI to post a fighting 182 for 6 against Ireland in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener in Colombo.

The disruption came minutes before the toss when Marsh was ruled out with a groin injury, forcing a last-minute leadership change. Travis Head stepped in to lead a depleted group already missing several frontline quicks, giving the contest an improvised look from the outset.

Australia still flew out of the blocks. Head’s early chance went down, but he soon ran out, scoring only 6 runs. Inglish and Green smashed quick boundaries in the powerplay and pushed them beyond 60 in 6 overs, even as wickets interrupted momentum. 

Josh Inglis provided the early thrust with a counterattacking 37 off 17 balls, finding repeated gaps square of the wicket before edging to slip off the spinners. Marcus Stoinis also steadied the innings with 45 from 29 deliveries. He combined with Matt Renshaw, who added 37 off 33, in a fifth-wicket stand worth 61 runs that rebuilt the platform.

With Australia needing stability, Marcus Stoinis took control of the middle stretch. He rotated strike smartly and picked his moments to attack, adding a crucial partnership with Matt Renshaw that repaired the innings after a mini-collapse.

The closing overs delivered a sharp kick. Lower-order hitters supplied a compact but effective “late flourish,” lifting Australia beyond the 180 mark and giving their bowlers a total to defend in this Australia vs Ireland clash.