Ireland’s stand-in-captain Lorcan Tucker scored a superb unbeaten 94 as they hammered Oman by 96 runs to register their first Group B win at the T20 World Cup.

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 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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Pakistan skipper Salman Agha said Saturday his team had been “always ready” to face India on Sunday at the T20 World Cup, despite only being given the green light a few days ago.

The biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket has sold out the 35,000-capacity R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, with hundreds of millions more expected to watch on television.

The game was only confirmed as going ahead late on Monday night after the government made a U-turn on its order to boycott the blockbuster Group A game.

“This is a very big game and the magnitude is huge,” Agha said ahead of the team’s practice at the stadium on Saturday.

“We were always ready for the game, whatever the decision.”

Pakistan had a scrappy last-over three-wicket win in their first match against the Netherlands before beating the United States by 32 runs. India have also won both their matches so far.

“We are in good momentum and I hope that being in Colombo since the start will help us in terms of conditions,” said Agha.

But he warned: “We have to play good cricket to win the match.” The hugely anticipated match could be hit by bad weather, with rain forecast for Sunday evening.

Agha believed spin would dominate, calling Tariq Usman his trump card against India’s powerful batting line-up.

“Tariq has been bowling well, and I am sure the mystery element will make him our trump card,” Agha said, brushing aside doubts over the legality of Tariq’s unique sling-arm action and the exaggerated pause in his delivery stride.

“He has been cleared twice, so there are no worries.” Agha hoped the players would shake hands, unlike during their three Asia Cup matches in Dubai last year.

“The game should be played in the true spirit of the game,” said Agha.

“It has been the norm in cricket for years, but whatever way they want, we will only know tomorrow.”

The winner will be guaranteed their berth in the next Super Eights round.

India have a doubt over explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who has been suffering from a stomach bug.

“I hope he plays tomorrow. I hope he’s recovering well,” said Agha. “We want to play against the best, good luck to him.”

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TESERO: The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics delivered a packed day of high-stakes action on Friday, with Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo etching his name deeper into Winter Games history by claiming his eighth career gold medal to tie the all-time record.

The 29-year-old Norwegian superstar dominated the men’s 10km interval start freestyle cross-country race in Tesero, clocking 20min 36.2sec to finish 4.9sec ahead of France’s Mathis Desloges, with compatriot Einar Hedegart taking bronze. The victory marked Klaebo’s third gold of these Games following wins in the skiathlon and classic sprint, and his first in a 10km interval start skating format on the professional circuit.

Klaebo now shares the record of eight Winter Olympic golds with fellow Norwegians Marit Bjorgen, Bjorn Daehlie and biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen.

Rivals acknowledged his dominance, with Hedegart admitting it was his best chance to beat the “insanely high” level of the Norwegian, while Britain’s Andrew Musgrave predicted Klaebo could sweep all six possible cross-country golds here. The relay on Sunday offers Klaebo his next shot at sole possession of the record.

In biathlon at Anterselva, France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet stormed to gold in the men’s 10km sprint, his first individual Olympic title since Beijing and a reminder of his enduring class at 33.

Maillet, who matched Martin Fourcade’s seven-medal tally for France, described it as a “perfect race” amid personal joy at awaiting a baby. Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid overcame recent personal controversy to claim bronze, with team-mate Vetle Sjastad Christiansen snatching silver in a late surge.

Australia’s Josie Baff thrilled in Livigno, surging to gold in women’s snowboard cross by 0.04sec over Czechia’s Eva Adamczykova, who completed her Olympic medal set (gold Sochi 2014, bronze Pyeongchang 2018). Italy’s Michela Moioli took bronze on home snow, kissing her medal through tears after a recent training crash.

Curling in Cortina d’Ampezzo saw Italy’s men, skipped by Joel Retornaz, continue their strong home campaign with a 9-7 win over Britain, stealing four in the first end before holding off a British fightback. The result boosted Italy’s medal hopes after earlier beating Sweden.

In women’s play, the United States’ Tabitha Peterson delivered a landmark 9-8 victory over two-time world champions Canada with the hammer in the final end, ending a long wait for an Olympic win over their neighbors. Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg edged Denmark 6-5 to top the standings.

Ice hockey in Milan featured powerhouses asserting control. Canada crushed Czechia 5-0, with Jordan Binnington posting a shutout and young star Macklin Celebrini among the scorers, backed by Connor McDavid’s three assists. The United States rebounded from early disallowed goals to beat Latvia 5-1, with Brock Nelson scoring twice.

Italian short track star Arianna Fontana settled for silver in the women’s 500m, tying Edoardo Mangiarotti as Italy’s most decorated Olympian with 13 medals across six Games. The 35-year-old, who overcame a torn quad, drew inspiration from fellow Italians’ successes.

As the Games approach the halfway mark, Norway lead the medal table with eight golds and 18 total, tied on overall count with host Italy (six golds, 18 total). The United States sits third with 14 medals. With events in figure skating, speed skating and more looming, the battle for supremacy intensifies on Italian soil.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2026

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