Sri Lanka, co-hosts of the tournament, opened their campaign with a 20-run victory over Ireland and will be hoping to build on that momentum in front of home fans. Oman, meanwhile, are aiming to get their first win of the competition and bounce back after a heavy loss to Zimbabwe in their opening match.
This match marks the first ever men’s T20 International between Sri Lanka and Oman in the history of the format — a notable milestone given Oman’s long participation in ICC events. �
Oman are participating in the ICC T20 World Cup for the fourth time, having previously featured in the 2016, 2021, and 2024 editions. They qualified for this year’s event via the Asia-Pacific regional qualifiers, finishing second in that tournament.
Oman have competed in only 11 T20 World Cup matches and have managed just one win against a Full Member nation — a famous victory over Ireland in 2016. Their only other win at a World Cup was against Papua New Guinea in 2021. Apart from these, they have recorded a tie and several defeats in the event.
Before today’s clash with Sri Lanka, Oman had never played Sri Lanka in any official international match. Their only recorded win in any international T20 encounter against higher-ranked teams was by 10 runs against Sri Lanka ‘A’ in a warm-up fixture earlier this month.
Sri Lanka vs Oman, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 – 16th Match
Date & Time: February 12, 2026 — 11:00 AM local time
Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka will look to continue their strong home form and secure an important win to boost their chances of reaching the Super Eight stage. Oman, led by skipper Jatinder Singh, have said they will play with confidence and aim to upset the hosts despite being underdogs.
