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.
(VIDEO) Australia Thrash Ireland by 67 Runs in Colombo to Launch T20 World Cup Campaign in Style
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
A Nike logo is displayed at a Nike store in Austin, Texas, Feb. 5, 2026.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Shares of Nike fell in extended trading Tuesday after the retailer warned sales will fall for the rest of the calendar year, led by an expected 20% decline in its key China market during the current quarter.
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Chief Financial Officer Matt Friend said during the company’s earnings call that Nike expects sales for its current fiscal fourth quarter to drop between 2% and 4%, compared with Wall Street estimates of a 1.9% increase, according to LSEG.
For the duration of the calendar year, Friend said, the company expects sales to fall by a low single-digit percentage, led by growth in North America and offset by declines in China. That outlook wasn’t comparable to estimates.
Nike beat expectations across the business on both the top and bottom lines for its fiscal third quarter, but its guidance left investors with more questions about how long its turnaround will take. Friend also cautioned that Nike’s guidance was based off of where the global economic picture stands today — and it could change given recent geopolitical volatility.
“We also recognize that the environment around us has become increasingly dynamic, and we could experience unplanned volatility due to the disruption in the Middle East, rising oil prices and other factors that could impact either input costs or consumer behavior,” said Friend. “We are focused on what we can control.”
Shares fell more than 8% in extended trading.
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Here’s how the world’s largest sneaker company did for its fiscal third quarter, compared with estimates from analysts polled by LSEG:
Earnings per share: 35 cents vs. 28 cents expected
Revenue: $11.28 billion vs. $11.24 billion expected
The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Feb. 28 was $520 million, or 35 cents per share. That’s a 35% decline from $794 million, or 54 cents per share, a year earlier. That plunge came as Nike’s gross profit margin slid 1.3 percentage points to 40.2%, “primarily due to higher tariffs in North America,” the company said.
Sales were flat at $11.28 billion, compared to $11.27 billion last year.
While Nike beat expectations on the top and bottom lines, it posted a mixed picture regionally. Nike’s largest market of North America continued to show steady growth, as revenue climbed 3% to $5.03 billion, but that was just shy of Wall Street’s expectations of $5.04 billion, according to StreetAccount.
Meanwhile, Nike’s Greater China market continued to shrink, with revenue down 7% to $1.62 billion during the quarter. Still, that total beat analyst estimates of $1.50 billion, according to StreetAccount.
Nike is continuing to work through a colossal turnaround under CEO Elliott Hill. About a year and a half into his tenure, Hill has made strides in repairing parts of the business, but has been clear that it’ll take time for the entire company to improve given the retailer’s scale and complexity.
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He reiterated that expectation on Tuesday, saying in a news release that “the pace of progress is different across the portfolio.”
“The areas we prioritized first continue to drive momentum,” Hill said. “The work is not finished, but the direction is clear, our teams are moving with focus and urgency, and our foundation is getting even stronger to build the future of NIKE.”
Friend said Nike’s turnaround efforts “will continue to impact results over the balance of the calendar year.”
The group’s Frankfurt-listed shares plummeted 8.7% at the open in Europe on Wednesday.
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Nike’s recovery was already coming at a tough time as a global trade war dented its efforts to improve profitability and drive sales from inflation-weary shoppers. But now the athletic company will have to contend with a new war in the Middle East that’s already led to rising gas prices and is expected to send consumer prices even higher, which could push shoppers to cut back on nice-to-haves like new clothes and shoes to save money elsewhere.
“We continue to be encouraged by the momentum in North America. We’ve got a strong order book for summer,” Friend said. “We’re seeing positive signs and sell through. We’re not seeing a consumer reaction to what’s going on in the Middle East at this point in time, in North America.”
Hill has focused in part on revitalizing Nike’s business with wholesale partners as opposed to direct sales on its website and in stores. Wholesale revenue climbed 5% to $6.5 billion.
More than three quarters of UK businesses are already feeling the impact of the Middle East conflict, as rising energy costs and supply chain disruption begin to feed through into operations, yet confidence at the firm level remains notably resilient.
New research from Barclays, based on a survey of more than 500 business leaders, shows that 66 per cent of companies are experiencing pressure from higher fuel and energy prices, while half report moderate to significant disruption to supply chains.
The findings highlight the speed at which geopolitical instability is affecting day-to-day business activity, with shipping and logistics costs also rising for 43 per cent of firms, adding further strain to margins.
Companies are already responding by adjusting operations and cutting costs. Around 37 per cent have taken steps to reduce energy usage or improve efficiency across their supply chains, while nearly a third have increased prices to offset rising expenses.
Other measures include reducing discretionary spending and tightening overall cost control, with many firms expecting to intensify these actions over the coming months. More than a third are planning further price increases, signalling that cost pressures are likely to continue feeding through to consumers.
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The data suggests that while businesses are adapting quickly, the cumulative effect of higher costs and uncertainty is beginning to reshape decision-making across sectors.
Access to finance is emerging as a key factor in maintaining resilience. Barclays’ research shows that 41 per cent of businesses see support with cashflow management as essential, while 39 per cent highlight the importance of working capital and short-term credit.
Existing cash reserves are also playing a crucial role, with more than 80 per cent of firms identifying them as vital in navigating current conditions. Trade finance and cross-border payment solutions are similarly viewed as important tools for managing disruption in international markets.
Abdul Qureshi, head of business banking at Barclays, said the current environment presents a “convergence of pressures” for UK firms.
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“For SMEs, dependable cash flow and access to working capital are increasingly important, not only to keep operations running, but to safeguard future growth plans,” he said.
The impact of rising costs is already being reflected in consumer spending patterns. Barclays data shows fuel spending rose by nearly 11 per cent year-on-year at the onset of the conflict, driven by higher prices and demand.
At the same time, discretionary spending is beginning to soften, with spending on holidays and travel falling by almost 8 per cent as households adopt a more cautious approach to their finances.
This shift in consumer behaviour is likely to create additional headwinds for businesses, particularly those reliant on non-essential spending.
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Despite these challenges, the research reveals a striking divergence between business-level confidence and broader economic sentiment.
While 78 per cent of firms remain confident in their own prospects and 74 per cent are optimistic about their sector, confidence in the wider economy is significantly weaker. Fewer than half of respondents expressed confidence in the UK economy, with even lower levels for the global outlook.
This suggests that while businesses believe they can manage current pressures internally, there is growing concern about the external environment and its longer-term implications.
Most business leaders expect geopolitical uncertainty to weigh on investment and growth plans over the next year, although the majority anticipate only a moderate impact. A smaller proportion, around one in ten, foresee a significant constraint on their operations.
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Matt Hammerstein, chief executive of Barclays UK Corporate Bank, said firms are being forced to balance immediate challenges with long-term planning.
“Businesses are having to manage disruption today while remaining ready to invest and grow when conditions improve,” he said.
The findings paint a picture of an economy under pressure but not yet in retreat. UK businesses are adapting to rising costs and uncertainty, drawing on cash reserves and financial support to maintain stability.
However, the persistence of energy price volatility and geopolitical risk means the coming months will be critical.
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While confidence at the firm level remains strong, the widening gap with broader economic sentiment suggests that resilience may be tested further if external conditions deteriorate, particularly if cost pressures intensify or demand weakens.
Amy Ingham
Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.
‘I’m proud to take on this role at such an important time for the organisation’
Wayne Jones OBE, the new chair of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce(Image: Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce)
Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has appointed past president Wayne Jones OBE as its new chair in a move it says “marks a new chapter for the organisation, but one rooted firmly in continuity”.
The Chamber was sold out of administration last year, with directors vowing a “seamless transition” of its business support services. Now Mr Jones, who has been a Chamber board member for more than a decade, is to succeed Phil Cusack as chair.
Mr Jones serves on the Liverpool-Manchester Railway Partnership Board and was in 2016 named a Global Ambassador for Manchester. He was previously a member of the executive board of MAN Energy (now Everllence).
In a statement, the Chamber said: “His appointment comes at a pivotal moment. Greater Manchester Chamber is entering its first full financial year as a new organisation, and the role of Chair has never carried more weight. With the organisation navigating a period of genuine evolution, the Chair’s responsibilities extend beyond the boardroom: providing leadership, representing the Chamber’s voice externally, and maintaining the confidence of the business community across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester.”
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Mr Jones said: “Greater Manchester has always been a place that punches above its weight, and the Chamber has a vital role to play in making sure businesses here have the support, the platform and the representation they deserve. I’m proud to take on this role at such an important time for the organisation, and I’m looking forward to getting to work.”
Emma Holt, president of the Chamber, added: “Wayne has been part of the foundation of this organisation for a significant period. He knows what we stand for, he knows what Greater Manchester needs, and he has the credibility and the drive to help us move forward with purpose. We’re delighted to welcome him into this role.”
The Chamber also paid tribute to Phil Cusak’s “service and commitment” to the organisation.
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