It has not been a good month or so for Australia. They suffered a 0-3 T20I series defeat in Pakistan, and they are now almost knocked out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. That has given a clear path to Zimbabwe to make it through the Super 8 from Group B. Notably, Sri Lanka have already qualified, and Zimbabwe have four points and two more games left to play.
Zimbabwe will be up against Ireland in their third group game. This contest will be live from Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on February 17 (Tuesday) at 3 PM IST. They thrashed Australia in the previous game, and it was a historic effort from Sikandar Raza and co. They will be confident to earn two more points from this game. On the other hand, Ireland had a great last game, and they hammered Oman, which gave them two important points. They still have an outside chance, but for that, they need this win here.
IRE vs ZIM: Match Info.
·Series: ICC T20 World Cup 2026
·Match: Ireland vs Zimbabwe, Match 32
·Venue Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele
·Time: 3:00 PM IST
·Date: February 17, 2026 (Tuesday)
IRE vs ZIM: Head-to-Head: IRE (8) – ZIM (8)
It has been an even head-to-head scoreline between these two sides. These two teams have played 18 T20Is; both sides have managed 8 wins each, and two games have ended without a result.
IRE vs ZIM: Pitch Report
The pitch in Pallekele has been good for batting. In two games, the first-inning score has been 225 and 181. Though the wicket is likely to get challenging with time because of the slowness. With rain predicted during the game, it can be tough for the batters. Hence, captains should bowl first at the toss.
IRE vs ZIM: Live Streaming Details
·TV: Star Sports Network
·Digital: Jio Hotstar (App or Website)
IRE vs ZIM: Weather Report
The weather forecast for Tuesday in Pallekele shows light rain during the scheduled time. The temperature will be around 21°C, with a moderate wind speed of 8 kmph and the humidity crossing 90 percent.
IRE vs ZIM: Last Five Results
Zimbabwe: W, L, L, W, W
Ireland: W, W, L, L, W
Ireland vs Zimbabwe: Predicted XIs:
Ireland: R. Adair, H. Tector, T. Tector, L. Tucker (c) (wk), G. Dockrell, C. Campher, G. Delany, M. Adair, M. Humphreys, B. McCarthy, J. Little
Zimbabwe: B. Bennett, T. Marumani (wk), S. Raza (c), D. Myers, R. Burl, T. Munyonga, T. Musekiwa, W. Masakadza, B. Evans, G. Cremer, B. Muzarabani
IRE vs ZIM: Players to Watch out for
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett has been in great form at the top. He has given Zimbabwe good starts in almost every game. He played a key role in Zimbabwe's historic win over Australia.
Ireland: George Dockrell has been fantastic this edition. He has taken the most wickets for his team and is the second-highest scorer for Ireland as well.
Ireland vs Zimbabwe Today’s Match Prediction: This game is going to be a cracking contest because they used to play a lot against each other. Quality-wise, both sides are of almost the same level, which makes this contest even closer. But the rain can play a spoilsport, because there is a strong precipitation during the scheduled time.
Hence, the toss can also be crucial because it can be an advantage to whoever bats first. But we will consider the current form, and Zimbabwe are looking better because their fast bowlers are taking wickets with the new ball. That is missing with Ireland at the moment. Hence, Zimbabwe will be slight favorites for this game.
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