Oman and Zimbabwe are set to face each other in Match No. 8 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Monday afternoon, February 9.
With both teams aiming to get their World Cup campaign up and running, a win here could provide valuable early momentum in the group stage.
Zimbabwe, led by Sikandar Raza, come into the tournament after a mixed run in the warm-up matches. They began with a defeat against Oman but managed to regroup quickly and secure a confidence-boosting win over the Netherlands. That victory helped them find some rhythm just in time for the main event, and they will be keen to carry that momentum into their opening fixture. Consistency, however, remains an area they will be looking to improve.
Oman, meanwhile, appear to be in solid shape heading into the match. They impressed in the warm-up games, registering convincing wins against Sri Lanka A and Nepal. Those performances have boosted their confidence, and they will believe they have the tools to challenge Zimbabwe. With both teams eyeing a strong start, the clash promises to be a competitive and closely fought encounter.
ZIM vs OMA, T20 World Cup 2026: Match details
- Date and Time: February 9; 3:00 pm IST / 9:30 am GMT
- Venue: Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo
ZIM vs OMA, Head-to-Head Record in T20Is
This will be the first encounter between the two teams in the shortest format of the game.
Sinhalese Sports Club Pitch Report
The Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo is known for becoming more spin-friendly as a match wears on. Early in a T20 game, the surface tends to be flat and reliable, offering good bounce that allows batters to play with freedom and confidence. The ball comes nicely onto the bat, helping stroke-players settle quickly and make the most of the powerplay, when scoring runs is relatively easier.
As the game progresses, the pitch begins to slow and show signs of use. The ball starts to grip the surface, bringing spinners into the contest. Turn increases, and occasional uneven bounce makes timing more difficult, particularly for teams batting in the latter stages. Chasing sides often find it challenging to maintain momentum, as clean stroke-making becomes harder in the second innings. Quality spinners can exploit these conditions by cleverly mixing their pace and flight, building pressure and forcing errors.
Given how the pitch changes over time, captains usually prefer to bat first after winning the toss and put runs on the board before conditions become tougher for batting.
Squads
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tony Munyonga, Clive Madande, Graeme Cremer
Oman: Jatinder Singh (c), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Jiten Ramanandi, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Shakeel Ahmed, Shah Faisal, Mohammad Nadeem, Jay Odedra, Ashish Odedara, Shafiq Jan
ZIM vs OMA, T20 World Cup 2026: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- Zimbabwe wins the toss and bats first
- Zimbabwe’s powerplay score: 60-70 (6 overs)
- Zimbabwe’s total score: 170-180
Case 2:
- Oman wins the toss and bats first
- Oman’s powerplay score: 40-50 (6 overs)
- Oman’s total score: 155-165
Match result: Zimbabwe to win the contest.
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