Ireland wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker admitted that Australia controlled the game really nicely after his side suffered a 67-run defeat in their second match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Chasing 182, Ireland were bowled out for 115 in 16.5 overs as Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa claimed four wickets each to seal a comprehensive win for Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Yeah, I think we absolutely saw the other day, we felt like we talked about the surface, you know, good experience on this, like Australia. I think we probably didn't start as well as we would have liked. I think the way we set up, we feel like we could target that," Tucker said in the post-match presentation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I think they probably got a few more than that, but I think it was just kind of like, like they managed it in the middle period really well against our spinners, and so well. But I think they controlled the game really nicely and set them up to be able to get a bigger score than maybe the par total," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ireland had earlier conceded 182\/6 in their 20 overs after Matthew Renshaw and Marcus Stoinis stitched together a crucial 61-run partnership to rescue Australia from early trouble.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Irish innings never gained momentum after early wickets left them struggling at 43\/5. Tucker and George Dockrell added 46 runs for the sixth wicket, but the chase slipped away quickly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite the setback, Tucker remained optimistic about Ireland's campaign.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Yeah, like it is tournament cricket. I think there are plenty of things happening. Like we saw today, a couple of super overs in the game and all the other groups. So there's still plenty that can happen. I think we just got to stay confident, stay key, and we're right out of this."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The defeat was compounded by the injury to captain Paul Stirling, who retired hurt after facing just one ball in the chase, having earlier missed the field during Australia's innings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Reflecting on Stirling's injury, Tucker said, "Yeah, I think he just took a bit of a knock on his knee taking that catch in the first inning. Pretty unfortunate to lose him like that. I know he's obviously brave and tried to go out and see if the second innings got off to a good start, but he wasn't able to, unfortunately. So hopefully we can get that right for the next game."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The defeat was compounded by the injury to captain Paul Stirling, who retired hurt after facing just one ball in the chase, having earlier missed the field during Australia's innings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After losing two matches in a row, Ireland will now face Oman on February 14 in a do-or-die encounter at the Sinhalese Sports Club.<\/p>\r\n\r\n