COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Australia opened their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a ruthless 67‑run victory over Ireland, combining a muscular batting display with a suffocating bowling performance to underline their title credentials in Group B.

Sent in to bat after stand‑in captain Travis Head won the toss at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Australia posted an imposing 182 for 6 before skittling Ireland for just 115 in 16.5 overs. The result not only delivered two points but also handed Australia a hefty early boost to their net run rate in a group where every decimal could prove crucial.

Stoinis and Inglis power Australia to 182

Australia’s innings began in chaotic fashion when Head, leading the side in the absence of the injured Mitchell Marsh, was run out for 6 after a mix‑up with opening partner Josh Inglis. Inglis had already survived a chance — dropped at point — and capitalised on his reprieve with an aggressive, counter‑punching cameo.

Inglis and Cameron Green quickly wrested back momentum from Ireland. The pair kept the powerplay run rate above 10 an over, mixing clean hitting down the ground with sharp running between the wickets. Green raced to 21 off 11 balls before miscuing to mid‑wicket, but by then Australia had 64 on the board at the end of six overs, with the Irish seamers struggling for control on a placid surface.

Inglis continued to attack, racing to 37 off just 17 balls with a flurry of boundaries through point and over extra cover. His dismissal, holing out after earlier striking George Dockrell for four, briefly checked Australia’s charge, and a quiet middle phase followed as new batsmen adjusted to a pitch that began to slow and grip.

Matt Renshaw and Marcus Stoinis then rebuilt the innings in a decisive fifth‑wicket stand worth 61. Renshaw played the anchor role with 37 from 33 balls, rotating the strike and allowing Stoinis to dictate terms. Stoinis, who top‑scored with 45 from 29 deliveries, picked his moments to accelerate, driving powerfully down the ground and muscling a six over mid‑wicket while still collecting the majority of his runs in hard‑run ones and twos.

Glenn Maxwell’s brief stay offered flashes of intent without a big payoff, but Australia’s refusal to panic after losing early wickets meant they always had a platform to launch from. Late nudges and hustled doubles in the final overs ensured Australia reached 182, a total that looked slightly above par once the ball began to hold in the surface.

For Ireland, Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy fought hard in the death overs to prevent a 190‑plus score, but the damage from the powerplay and the Stoinis‑Renshaw partnership left them facing a daunting chase.

Ellis and Zampa rip through Ireland

Ireland’s reply unravelled almost immediately. Captain Paul Stirling, their most experienced and explosive batter, retired hurt for 1 in the opening over after what appeared to be a hamstring issue, dealing a psychological blow to a side already up against it.

Australian seamer Nathan Ellis took full advantage of the unsettled top order. Renowned for his clever changes of pace and skiddy trajectory, Ellis struck twice inside the first few overs, removing both set batters and exposing Ireland’s middle order before they could settle. By the end of the powerplay, Ireland had slumped to 40 for 4, their chase effectively in ruins.

Curtis Campher (4), Benjamin Calitz (2) and Gareth Delany (11) all fell cheaply during a brutal collapse that left Ireland tottering at 43 for 5 by the seventh over. Any hopes of a miracle hinged on wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker and all‑rounder George Dockrell, who mounted the only meaningful resistance of the innings.

The pair added 46 for the sixth wicket, with Dockrell in particular showing composure and intent. He compiled a spirited 41 off 29 balls, finding gaps and punishing anything short or wide. Tucker supported with 24 as the duo briefly quieted the Australian fielders and forced Travis Head to juggle his bowling options.

But Adam Zampa, who had been held back specifically for the middle overs, quickly reasserted Australia’s control. The leg‑spinner broke the stand by removing Tucker, drawing him into a miscued stroke. Once that partnership ended, Ireland’s lower order crumbled.

Zampa and Ellis then turned the screw in tandem. Zampa’s drifting leg‑breaks and sharp googlies dismantled the middle order, while Ellis continued to choke off scoring opportunities with a mix of cutters and yorkers. Both bowlers finished with identical figures of four wickets apiece, underlining their dominance and leaving Ireland shot out for 115 with more than three overs unused.

Dockrell was the last semblance of resistance before the tail fell away, underscoring how little support Ireland’s top order offered in the face of Australia’s relentless attack.

Bowling discipline sets the tone

Australia’s performance with the ball was as clinical as their batting was controlled. Ellis’ 4 for 12 stood out not just for the wickets but for the pressure he applied; his economy and accuracy forced Ireland’s batters into high‑risk shots far earlier than they would have liked.

Zampa’s 4 for 23 demonstrated once again why he is central to Australia’s white‑ball plans. On a surface that rewarded patience and changes of pace, he consistently attacked the stumps, forcing errors from batters unsure whether to commit forward or back.

Xavier Bartlett and Matthew Kuhnemann provided useful support, tightening the screws from the other end and ensuring Ireland never found a passage of play in which they could counter‑attack freely. In the field, Australia were sharp, with direct hits and diving stops adding to Ireland’s sense of suffocation.

Perfect start to Group B campaign

The 67‑run margin sends Australia to the top of Group B on net run rate and serves as a statement of intent to the rest of the tournament. Coming into the World Cup with key players missing and questions about depth, they answered emphatically on both fronts: the batting card produced multiple contributions, and the attack functioned as a well‑drilled unit.

For Ireland, the defeat leaves them winless after two matches and with serious concerns over both form and fitness. Stirling’s hamstring issue looms as a major worry, and the fragility of the top order under pressure was laid bare. Their bowlers showed patches of discipline, particularly in the latter half of Australia’s innings, but the early overs with both bat and ball ultimately proved decisive.

As the tournament moves forward, Australia will look to build on the momentum of this comprehensive opening victory, while Ireland face a quick turnaround to resurrect their campaign and repair both confidence and combinations.

Australia may have needed four days to get on the park, but once they did, they wasted no time reminding everyone why they remain perennial contenders in global T20 cricket.

Amazon is expanding its same-day prescription delivery service to nearly 4,500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026, adding about 2,000 new communities, including statewide coverage in Idaho and Massachusetts.

The move deepens Amazon’s push into the prescription drug market, which it entered in 2018 through its acquisition of PillPack. The company is positioning faster delivery and subscription pricing as competitive advantages against traditional pharmacy chains.

Amazon said the expansion comes as pharmacy closures, staffing shortages and transportation barriers make it harder for some patients – particularly in rural and remote areas – to access medications.

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“Patients shouldn’t have to choose between speed, cost, and convenience when it comes to their medication, regardless of where they live,” said John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy. “By combining our pharmacy expertise with our logistics network, we’re removing critical barriers and helping patients start treatment faster—setting a new standard for accessible, digital-forward pharmacy care.”

Boxes lie on a conveyor belt during Cyber Monday at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Robbinsville, New Jersey, U.S., Dec. 2, 2024.  (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

The company said it improved delivery speeds across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., in 2025. Faster shipping is expanding into rural areas, including remote Alaska towns and parts of the Navajo Nation, where the nearest pharmacy can be nearly an hour away.

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Close-up of an Amazon Pharmacy shipping label on a cardboard box, Reliez Valley, California, Feb. 9, 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Amazon is also integrating pharmacy services with One Medical, the primary care provider it acquired in 2023. Some One Medical patients can pick up prescriptions at in-clinic kiosks, and the company began filling select prescriptions at those electronic kiosks in December. One Medical operates on a $199 annual membership model.

In October, Amazon partnered with WeightWatchers to supply medications, including injectable GLP-1 obesity treatments, to its members. Amazon Pharmacy also offers the oral GLP-1 Wegovy pill.

Amazon packages seen on a conveyor belt at a warehouse facility.  (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The company continues to promote cost-saving programs, including Prime Rx discounts of up to 80% on generics and 40% on brand-name drugs for uninsured members, as well as RxPass, a $5-per-month subscription available in 48 states for more than 50 common medications.

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Amazon said its expanded same-day and next-day delivery network is aimed at patients managing both acute and chronic conditions.

Reuters contributed to this report. 

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are now the focus of a heated legal battle, with a leading drugmaker warning that copycat versions pose a risk to patient safety.

“When you go and try to source raw materials from China or unknown sources, put it in an injection, and sell knockoff medication, there is something wrong with this,” Mike Doustdar, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk, told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo.

Novo, best known for its blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Wegovy, has filed a lawsuit against Hims & Hers Health, accusing the telehealth company of selling compounded, unapproved versions of its semaglutide-based medications, including a copycat version of its newly launched daily pill.

Doustdar said the introduction of the oral option broadens access for patients who are reluctant to use injections, but he sharply criticized what he described as widespread “mass compounding” of GLP-1 drugs by telehealth firms.

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A woman injects a GLP-1 injection into her stomach in this undated photo taken at an undisclosed location. (iStock / iStock)

“Compounding is supposed to be for a few individuals that have, let’s say, allergic reactions to the real medicine,” he said. “But this mass compounding — it’s quite unbelievable that it has gotten to this point.”

He added that Novo has filed multiple lawsuits against compounders, arguing that the launch of a compounded pill version crossed a line.

“I think the nail in the coffin, as they say, was when they completely made a new drug — the pill — a compounded version of it and basically tried to introduce that to the market,” he said. “That’s where we felt enough is enough.”

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A pharmacist displays a box of Wegovy pills at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah on Thursday, Jan. 15.  (George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Hims & Hers fired back against Novo Nordisk in a statement issued to multiple outlets this week, blasting the legal move as “a blatant attack by a Danish company on millions of Americans who rely on compounded medications for access to personalized care” and accusing “Big Pharma” of “weaponizing the U.S. judicial system to limit consumer choice.”

“This lawsuit attacks more than just one medication or company – it directly assaults a well-established, vital component of U.S. pharmacy practice that has improved patient care for everything from obesity to infertility to cancer,” a representative for the company said, per the New Jersey business publication NJBIZ.

The company also cited its history of providing “safe access to personalized healthcare to millions of Americans,” adding that it will “continue to fight to provide choice, affordability and access.”

AIRLINES HAVE 580 MILLION REASONS TO LIKE GLP-1 WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS, ANALYSIS FINDS

The New York Stock Exchange with a Hims & Hers Health, Inc. banner is pictured as a person runs past in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York on Jan. 21, 2021 (Reuters/Carlo Allegri / Reuters)

For some time, patients seeking GLP-1 therapy for conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome have sought compounded alternatives after facing insurance roadblocks that created cost challenges for brand-name medications.

Doustdar said Novo’s recent cost reductions have eliminated the need for copycat drugs due to what he described as pricing similarities between branded and compounded versions.

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However, when Hims & Hers briefly launched its compounded oral semaglutide, it was marketed at about $49 per month as an introductory price and around $99 per month thereafter, lower than Novo’s FDA-approved oral Wegovy, which launched at roughly $149 per month and can cost up to $299 at higher doses under self-pay pricing.

Hims & Hers later pulled the oral compounded medication from its platform following legal threats from Novo and scrutiny from federal regulators.