Lankan batters destroy Oman bowling attack in Group B encounter
Sri Lanka sent a strong warning to their rivals in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 with a dominant performance against Oman today. Playing on home turf at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the Lankan Lions secured a massive victory by 105 runs in this Group B encounter.
Oman won the toss and elected to field, hoping to restrict the hosts. However, that decision backfired as Sri Lanka’s batting lineup fired on all cylinders. Despite losing early wickets, including opener Pathum Nissanka for just 13, the middle order took complete control.
Kusal Mendis anchored the innings beautifully, scoring a solid 61 off 45 balls. But the real fireworks came from Pavan Rathnayake and captain Dasun Shanaka. Rathnayake smashed a blistering 60 from just 28 deliveries, while Shanaka played a captain's knock, blasting 50 runs off only 20 balls. His innings, studded with five massive sixes, propelled Sri Lanka to a daunting total of 225 for 5 in their 20 overs.
Chasing a target of 226 was always going to be a mountain to climb for Oman. Their chase started poorly, losing three wickets inside the powerplay for just 36 runs. Sri Lankan bowlers were disciplined and ruthless. Maheesh Theekshana was the pick of the bowlers, spinning a web around the batters to finish with impressive figures of 2 wickets for just 11 runs.
Mohammad Nadeem was the only bright spot for Oman. He fought a lone battle, remaining unbeaten on 53 off 56 balls. However, he received little support from the other end as wickets kept tumbling. Oman managed to crawl to 120 for 9 after 20 overs, falling short by a massive margin.
This convincing Sri Lanka vs Oman T20 World Cup result boosts Sri Lanka's net run rate significantly as they look to progress deep into the tournament.
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