Oman captain believes pre-tournament victory could boost confidence ahead of T20 World Cup 2026 opener

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When Oman and Zimbabwe face off in Colombo on Monday to begin their respective T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns, both teams will carry contrasting perspectives from a single warm-up encounter that preceded the tournament.

Oman recently defeated Zimbabwe in a practice match at the Colombo Cricket Club, and for the Associate nation, the narrow victory over a Full Member side has provided a significant confidence boost. Oman captain Jatinder Singh believes the result offers a clear psychological advantage heading into the tournament opener.

“Whether you like it or not, there is a psychological advantage,” Jatinder said. “We have beaten them in the warm-ups and hopefully, we’re going to do the same in the upcoming game.”

For Oman, who have managed just one win over Full Member nations in 16 attempts—a 2019 victory against Ireland—the result represents more than just a practice success. Since 2015, Oman have played over 100 T20 Internationals, but only a limited number have come against elite opposition. According to Jatinder, the gap between Associate and Full Member teams is largely due to opportunity rather than talent.

“Full Member teams definitely have better game plans and play a good brand of cricket,” he said. “But Associate nations are no less than Full Members. The only thing is we hardly get chances to play them. If we play them more, our level will go up.”

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza, however, played down the significance of the warm-up loss, stressing that the fixtures were primarily designed to regain match sharpness and adjust to local conditions. Despite being one of the more active T20 sides since 2024, Zimbabwe had not played a competitive T20I since November before arriving in Sri Lanka.

“Warm-ups are there just for an indication,” Raza said. “We haven’t played T20 cricket for two and a half months. Ideally, we wanted to win both games, but more importantly, there was a bigger picture—and we got what we wanted out of those warm-ups.”

That bigger picture, Raza explained, revolved around acclimatising to Sri Lankan conditions, with all of Zimbabwe’s matches scheduled in the country.

“It was about reading the wickets and understanding what sort of surfaces we will get at the Premadasa,” he said. “It was also about game time—some of the boys faced 40, 50, 60 balls in a match situation, which was important.”

As Oman prepare to rely on confidence and momentum, Jatinder summed up his side’s approach succinctly: “Positive, good, fearless cricket.”

When the two teams take the field on Monday, the opening clash will reveal whether psychological momentum or practical preparation proves more decisive in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener.