Colombo, Feb 11 (NationPress) In a remarkable display of bowling prowess, Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa each took four wickets, propelling Australia to a commanding 67-run victory against Ireland. The encounter took place at the renowned R. Premadasa Stadium during their inaugural match of the T20 World Cup 2026, where they bowled Ireland out for a mere 115 runs in just 16.5 overs.

Chasing a formidable target of 182 runs, Ireland faced adversity early on as their captain, Paul Stirling, who was absent in the first innings, had to retire hurt after facing just one delivery due to a hamstring injury.

After Stirling's unfortunate exit, Ross Adair managed to score 11 runs in the next five balls, but lost his teammate Harry Tector (0), caught by Cameron Green in the second over.

Fast bowler Ellis entered the fray in the third over and immediately impacted the game by clean bowling Adair off his very first delivery. Adair concluded his innings with 12 runs from nine balls.

Ellis continued to wreak havoc, dismissing Curtis Campher (4) in the same over. The 31-year-old bowler then clean bowled Benjamin Calitz with the first ball of his next over, achieving three wickets in just seven balls.

Another breakthrough for Australia followed just after the powerplay when Gareth Delany, who had previously dropped a catch off Marcus Stoinis, fell victim to leg-spinner Adam Zampa.

As Ireland struggled at 43/5, Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell stitched a 46-run partnership to revive their innings.

However, their partnership was short-lived as Zampa caught Tucker off guard in the 14th over, with Tucker scoring 24 runs off 27 balls.

After Tucker's dismissal, Dockrell pressed on but fell short of a half-century, being stumped at 41 in the 16th over. Dockrell maintained a strike rate of 141, striking three fours and two sixes.

Zampa completed his four-wicket haul by dismissing Mark Adair in the same over, while Ellis mirrored Zampa's achievement by dismissing Barry McCarthy, marking the end of the innings as Stirling opted not to bat again due to his injury. Matthew Kuhnemann also contributed with one wicket in his four overs.

Earlier, a significant 61-run partnership between Matthew Renshaw and Marcus Stoinis enabled Australia to reach 182/6 in their 20 overs. After winning the toss, Australia had a rocky start, losing their stand-in captain, Travis Head, who was run out on the seventh ball following a mix-up with Josh Inglis. Head scored just six runs from seven balls.

Following the early loss, Inglis and Cameron Green launched an aggressive assault on the Irish bowlers, forming a partnership of 49 runs off a mere 23 balls before Green was dismissed in the last ball of the fifth over while attempting a six off Mark Adair. Green finished with 21 runs off just 11 deliveries.

Inglis kept the pressure on through the next couple of overs with two boundaries, but was eventually caught by captain Stirling at cover in the seventh over. The wicket-keeper batter amassed 37 runs off just 17 balls, including six fours and one six.

Australia reached 90/4 at the halfway point, and despite Ireland's hopes of further damage, Renshaw and Stoinis built a crucial 61-run partnership, benefiting from Ireland's fielding lapses. The duo focused on rotating the strike, applying pressure on the opposition. Renshaw scored 37 runs off 33 balls, while Stoinis contributed 45 runs off just 29 balls.

Brief Scores: Ireland 115/10 in 16.5 overs (George Dockrell 41, Lorcan Tucker 24; Nathan Ellis 4-12, Adam Zampa 4-23) lost to Australia 182/6 in 20 overs (Marcus Stoinis 45, Matt Renshaw 37; Mark Adair 2-44, Harry Tector 1-24) by 67 runs.