COLOMBO: Stand-in captain Lorcan Tucker scored a superb unbeaten 94 as Ireland hammered Oman by 96 runs to register their first win at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday.
It propelled Ireland to the tournament’s highest score of 235-5, the second biggest total in the history of the men’s T20 World Cup.
Oman were never remotely in the chase at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) and were bundled out for 139 in 18 overs.
“The pitch was good, and we tried to capitalise by rotating the strike and putting the bad balls away,” said Tucker, who took over after Paul Stirling was ruled out on Friday with knee ligament damage.
“My role in the batting unit has changed, and I am loving the challenge,” Tucker said after posting the highest individual innings of the tournament so far.
He rescued the Irish from a precarious 64-4 after 7.3 overs with a sensational 51-ball knock that included 10 fours and four sixes.
“We had lost too many wickets, and we tried to keep the momentum,” he said.
He just missed out on a century when he lost the strike in the final over and was a spectator as George Dockrell hit the last three balls to the fence.
Tucker put on 101 runs for the fifth wicket with Gareth Delany, who made 56 off 30 balls.
The big-hitting Dockrell finished with 35 off just nine balls.
In reply, opener Aamir Kaleem scored exactly 50 and Hammad Mirza 46, but they were the only bright spots for Oman.
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DHAKA: Debutant Lorcan Tucker became only the second Irishman to hit a Test century, ably assisted by Andy McBrine’s unbeaten 71, to lead a tenacious fightback against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Thursday.
Ireland reached 286-8 at stumps on the third day to lead the hosts by 131 runs after resuming on a precarious 27-4 in the one-off Test.
Tucker made 108 off 162 balls before falling to the bowling of Ebadot Hossain, with Shoriful Islam taking the catch at extra cover.
The wicketkeeper-batsman hit 14 fours and a six during his time at the crease and was brilliantly assisted by Harry Tector and McBrine in partnerships of 72 and 111 to put the pressure back on Bangladesh.
Tector resumed overnight for a 28-run partnership with Peter Moor before left-arm pacer Shoriful gave the hosts their first breakthrough of the day.
Moor was gone for 16 but Tector and Tucker staved off further damage with their stand.
Tector departed after he was found leg before wicket off Taijul Islam, but his 56 made him the first Irish cricketer to hit half-centuries in both innings of a Test match.
Tucker brought up his century with a cover drive for four off left-arm spinner Taijul, raising his bat after hugging McBrine.
Mark Adair was next to bat, accompanying McBrine in a 31-run stand before he was removed by Taijul, the most successful Bangladesh bowler of the innings with 4-86.
Kevin O’Brien is the only other Irishman to hit a Test century, scoring 118 against Pakistan during Ireland’s 2018 maiden Test in Dublin.
Ireland have lost all three of their previous Tests since becoming a full member of the International Cricket Council in 2017.
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