Ellis, Zampa run riot in Colombo as Australia sail past Ireland to open campaign

Australia could not have asked for a better start to their delayed T20 World Cup 2026 campaign as they beat Ireland by 67 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday, February 11. Ireland were no match for the Aussies, who produced a clinical performance in their opening match despite captain Mitchell Marsh’s absence from the field.

Nathan Ellis was a standout performer for the Kangaroos, stunning the Irish with his clever variations and picking up three goals in the power play. Asked to chase down a massive target of 183, Ireland got off to the worst possible start as captain Paul Stirling walked off the very first ball with a hamstring injury sustained while fielding.

After a threatening start, the slide continued for Ireland as Matthew Kuhnemann claimed the first breakthrough of the day, forcing Harry Tector to put one straight to Cameron Green at cover. However, the real carnage began in the following over when Ellis outwitted Ross Adair (12 off 9) with a slower first delivery and shattered his stumps.

T20 World Cup: Australia vs Ireland Highlights

Two balls later he surprised Curtis Campher with extra pace and got him to hit straight to Green at mid-wicket. Wickets continued to fall as Ellis (4/12) forced Benjamin Calitz to clip one back onto his stumps, leaving Ireland reeling at 27/4 in 4.1 overs.

The Irish had almost no time to breathe as after Ellis it was Adam Zampa’s turn to tame them with his variations. The wrist spinner used the conditions to his advantage and left the opposition bewildered by his wide range of deliveries. Zampa recorded his third best bowling figures in T20Is (4/23) as Ireland were restricted to 115 in 16.5 overs.

Earlier, valuable contributions from Marcus Stoinis (45 off 29), Josh Inglis (37 off 17) and Matt Renshaw (37 off 33) took Australia to a competitive total of 182/6 in their 20 overs.

– The end

Issued by:

Rishabh Beniwal

Published on:

February 11, 2026

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