Momentum began to take shape on Day 2 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up matches as Oman, Zimbabwe and Nepal all registered confidence-boosting wins in Colombo and Chennai, sending early signals ahead of the marquee event.
With the main tournament fast approaching, these warm-up fixtures offered teams a valuable chance to test combinations — and for a few sides, they delivered timely reassurance.
Oman Get the Better of Sri Lanka A
Oman kicked off their preparations with a composed five-wicket win over Sri Lanka A in Colombo, driven by a standout innings from Aamir Kaleem.
After opting to bat, Sri Lanka A never truly found momentum, slipping to 41/3 inside the powerplay. Wanuja Sahan (29) and Chamindu Wijesinghe (24) added some late resistance, but Oman’s bowling attack kept things tight, with Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed and Jay Odedra picking up two wickets apiece.
In reply, Kaleem anchored the chase with a superb 80 off 47 balls, striking eight fours and three sixes. Even as wickets fell around him, the experienced left-hander ensured Oman stayed on course. Vinayak Shukla finished the job with an unbeaten 39 as Oman sealed victory with two overs to spare.
Drawn in Group B, Oman will take confidence from the performance as they prepare to open their World Cup campaign against Zimbabwe on February 9.
Zimbabwe Impress Against Netherlands
Zimbabwe followed suit with a solid all-round display, defeating the Netherlands by 29 runs in their warm-up clash.
Batting first, Zimbabwe posted a competitive 178/9, built around a fluent half-century from Ryan Burl (50 off 31). Useful contributions from Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers and captain Sikandar Raza ensured momentum never dipped, despite Logan van Beek’s tidy spell of 3/22 for the Dutch.
The Netherlands’ chase faltered early as Richard Ngarava ripped through the top order, finishing with impressive figures of 3/11. Leg-spinner Graeme Cremer also caught the eye, returning 2/15 on surfaces expected to favour spin during the tournament.
Van Beek’s unbeaten 40 helped the Netherlands bat out their overs, but they fell well short at 149. Attention now turns to their World Cup opener against Pakistan on February 7.
Nepal Cruise Past UAE in Chennai
Nepal rounded off the day with a commanding seven-wicket win over UAE, showcasing calmness and firepower in equal measure.
UAE made a promising start but slid to 66/5 before a stabilising partnership between Harshit Kaushik (35) and Sohaib Khan (38) guided them to 145/6. Muhammad Rohid’s early spell briefly troubled Nepal, leaving them at 45/3.
From there, the chase was all Nepal. Dipendra Singh Airee and Aarif Sheikh stitched together an unbeaten 103-run stand to take the game away. Airee struck 50 off 31 balls, while Sheikh dominated with a fluent 61, peppered with boundaries.
With Nepal placed in Group C and UAE in Group D, both teams will look to build on these outings as they eye potential upsets in the main draw.
What It Means
Warm-up matches rarely decide tournaments, but they do shape belief. For Oman, Zimbabwe and Nepal, these wins offer clarity, confidence and momentum — priceless commodities heading into a World Cup where margins are razor-thin.
