Australia, the No. 2 ranked ICC T20I side have had a tough time in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in Sri Lanka. They have been defeated and crushed by the Zimbabwean side in their second group-stage game, and the same followed in their do-or-die contest against Sri Lanka.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh, finally made a comeback to take back the charge both with the bat and the captaincy; however, that made no change to Australia’s poor stint in the World Cup. With the loss against Sri Lanka, and the Zimbabwe game being washed out at Pallekele, all hopes of Australia’s qualification have been drained.

This article includes a detailed preview of the AUS vs OMN T20 World Cup fixture, which also sheds light on the weather report and pitch report of the Pallekele International Stadium, the best probable players, the head-to-head record and the key player battles between the two sides who have been on the losing end in this group.

Your daily dose of cricket!

AUS vs OMN T20 World Cup Match Preview:

Match Date: The Australia vs. Oman match will be played on Friday, February 20.

Venue: The match will take place at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Time: The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM IST.

AUS vs OMN squads:

Australia Squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, and Adam Zampa. Reserve: Sean Abbott and Steve Smith

Oman Squad: Jatinder Singh (c), Vinayak Shukla, Mohammad Nadeem, Shah Faisal, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra, Shafiq Jan, Shakeel Ahmad, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Ashish Odedara, Jiten Ramanandi, and Aamir Kaleem.

AUS vs OMN Probable XIs:

Australia Probable Playing XI: Australia: Mitch Marsh (c), Travis Head, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa.

Oman Probable Playing XI: Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Aamir Kaleem, Wasim Ali, Mohammad Nadeem, Vinayak Shukla, Jiten Ramanandi, Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmad, and Faisal Shah.

AUS vs OMN T20 World Cup Match Key Battles:

Travis Head vs Faisal Shah

The Australian maestro, the left-handed explosive batter Travis Head, simply found his lost touch in their last game against Sri Lanka. It seemed as if the removal of the captaincy duct from his jersey gave him the extra push he needed to be back in the groove, but it was too late, though. Faisal has been the only constant for Oman with the new ball, and he has been economical, creating pressure on batters who often get dismissed trying to clear the field during the powerplay restrictions.

Mitchell Marsh vs Nadeem Khan

Another big Australian, Captain Mitchell Marsh, returned to take charge of his team; however, alongside that, he made a commanding return with the bat, as he scored a half-century, striking almost at 200. Marsh would be playing his own game at the top for Australia and Nadeem Khan, the slow left-arm spinner, can take the grip from the surface to his advantage, as Marsh often struggles against balls that keep really low.

Aamir Kaleem vs Marcus Stoinis

Aamir Kaleem has not been in any sublime touch, but he batted well against Ireland in the last game, scoring a quickfire 50. He will come in to open the innings alongside the captain. Marcus Stoinis has been Australia’s only positive with the ball, when the others have been longing for wickets. Given the new ball, Stoinis is Australia’s main wicket-taking bowler in the tournament.

AUS vs OMN Key Players:

Australia Key Players: Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Adam Zampa.

Oman Key Players: Jatinder Singh, Aamir Kaleem, Vinayak Shukla, Nadeem Khan and Sufyan Mehmood

AUS vs OMN T20 World Cup 2026 Match—Free Live Streaming and Telecast Details:

TV Broadcast in India: The Australia vs Oman clash will be broadcast live across India on the Star Sports Network.

Online Live Streaming in India: The matches of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 can be streamed live on the JioStar app with an active subscription.

AUS vs OMN T20 World Cup Match Weather and Pitch Report – Kandy

AUS vs OMN: Weather Report in Kandy

According to AccuWeather, Kandy has been one of those grounds that have offered some lovely playing conditions. The weather has been comparatively milder than in the other part of the country towards the capital city. However, rainfall has been a concern at this venue, and it will continue to bother the sides in the upcoming fixture as well.

AUS vs OMN: Pitch Report at the Pallekele International Stadium

Pallekele International Stadium is a favourable batting track in Sri Lanka, which was well and significantly proved in the earlier games for Australia. They faced Sri Lanka at this very venue, and the hosts chased a big 182-run target with ease. It is a batting paradise, and it gets further ruined for bowlers as they lose their grip after the dew comes into play.

AUS vs OMN Head-to-Head Records:

The mighty Australians have faced Oman in the shortest format of the game just once in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, when they won the game by 39 runs.

AUS vs OMN T20 World Cup Match—Conclusion:

Australia have no significant chance to make any more of an impact in the competition, since they are already eliminated from the group. However, it would be a consolation win for the mighty Aussies, who would probably mark this as the worst ever exit from an ICC tournament for them. The Omani side, on the other hand, are a revamped side and are still looking to settle for their best, as their performance has been a major thrashing for them in this contest so far.

ALSO READ: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ditches Class 10 board exam for cricket, school marks U-19 star absent