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Zimbabwe
IRE vs ZIM Win Probability
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Will Zimbabwe seal another win and edge closer to the Super 8?
- Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani has taken 7 wickets in 2 matches in the T20 World Cup 2026.
- Lorcan Tucker scored an unbeaten 94 in Ireland’s victory over Oman in the last match.
- 3 out of the last 5 matches in Pallekele have been won by the chasing team.
Zimbabwe to win.
| Tournament: | ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2026 |
| Format: | t20 |
| Venue: | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele, Sri Lanka |
| Toss Prediction: | To Bowl |
| Weather: | 21.3°C|Light drizzle |
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IRE vs ZIM Match Prediction & Analysis
Match number 32 of the T20 World Cup 2026 will see Ireland vs Zimbabwe in a crucial Group B match. The match will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele on Tuesday, February 17, from 3 p.m. local time.
Group B in the T20 World Cup 2026 has been full of excitement. Sri Lanka and Australia were the firm favourites to make it out of the group to the Super 8. But Zimbabwe and potentially Ireland could find themselves in with a chance.
Zimbabwe picked up a big win over Australia in their previous match and leapfrogged them to 2nd place in the Group B points table. Ireland, meanwhile, have won only one match and have an outside chance to get into the top 2 fight if they can win this match by a big margin.
IRE vs ZIM Betting News
Ireland vs Zimbabwe, 32nd T20 Match, Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Special Bets
Bet on the Ireland vs Zimbabwe, 32nd Match, Men's T20 World Cup 2026, with our special bet offers. Expert analysis for NZ vs CAN, betting today.
RECENT PERFORMANCE
IRE
W
L
L
W
W
IRE
140/8 in 20.0 7
UAE vs IRE 2026
Ireland beat United Arab Emirates by 30 runs170/7 in 20.0 8.5
121/10 in 19.5 6.1
UAE vs IRE 2026
Ireland beat United Arab Emirates by 57 runs178/6 in 20.0 8.9
ZIM
W
W
L
L
L
ZIM
HEAD TO HEAD
Last 6 Matches
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TEAMS PREVIEW
Ireland Preview
Ireland secured their first victory in Group C with a decisive 96-run victory over Oman in their most recent match. This victory has positioned them fourth in the table, and a further strong performance could propel them back into the Super Eight.
Their middle order has been the real strength so far. Wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker leads the way with 139 runs in 3 matches, including a brilliant match-winning 94 off 51 balls at a strike rate of 184.31 against Oman that set up the huge total.
All-rounder George Dockrell has been steady with 85 runs with his best performance coming against Australia where he scored 41 off 29 balls. Gareth Delany has been good too down the order, smashing 56 runs vs Oman in the last match.
The top order, though, is still a worry. Harry Tector (54 runs) and Curtis Campher (29 runs) are big talents but haven't yet displayed their quality; both need to step up soon for Ireland to remain in the race.
Bowling has been up and down, but there are bright spots. George Dockrell and Barry McCarthy are the joint-top wicket-takers with 4 wickets each. Left-arm pacer Josh Little made a strong impact in his first game of the tournament, taking 3/16 vs Oman. He could be the X-factor on slower pitches seen so far in the tournament. Matthew Humphreys and Mark Adair have taken 3 wickets apiece too.
IRE Over/Under Betting Tips
Lorcan Tucker has smashed a total of 13 fours this world cup, averaging 4.3 fours per match. He is in the inform batter for Ireland and the last time played at Pallekele, Tucker smashed 94* runs against Oman. He is a reliable and safe option to bet on and we predict his total 4's count to be over 2.5 against Zimbabwe.
Tucker took over the captaincy following Stirling’s injury and dominated the Oman bowling attack in the last match, finishing unbeaten on 94. This followed useful contributions of 24 and 21 against Australia and Sri Lanka, respectively. It has been a strong tournament overall for the stand-in skipper. With Australia's loss to Sri Lanka keeping Ireland’s hopes alive, Tucker will be eager to deliver another match-winning knock on this favorable Pallekele surface. We are backing him to lead from the front and predict his score to be over 16.5 runs.
Ireland Predicted Playing XI:
Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (C, WK), Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Joshua Little.
Ireland Key Players From Previous Game Of ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2026
Zimbabwe Preview
Zimbabwe picked up their biggest win of the T20 World Cup, beating giants Australia by 23 runs in their recent game, easing their path to Super 8 qualification. The African side have won both of their matches, sitting 2nd in Group C ahead of mighty Australia.
It's been a tremendous effort with the bat; they haven't done anything extraordinary like going ultra-aggressive, the trend of modern-day T20 cricket, rather they have intelligently read the conditions of the surface and pace their innings accordingly.
As a result, their opening duo of Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani have scored the most runs for Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup 2026. These two set the pace of the inning for the rest of the inning. Brian Bennett is the top scorer having scored 112 runs including the truly special 64 runs off 56 balls vs Australia.
Bennet is regarded as the next big thing in Zimbabwe cricket having scored 1708 runs in 54 T20Is with a strike rate of 143.7 and an average of 34.7 and having represented Zimbabwe in all three formats. His opening partner, Marumani, has scored 56 runs including a crucial partnership of 61 runs with Bennet vs Australia which proved significant to their victory.
In the middle order, the likes of Dion Mayers, Ryan Burl and Sikandar Raza carry the early momentum from the opening partnership and look to guide Zimbabwe to a big score later in the inning. Captain Raza is particularly the exceptional one having played 129 T20Is and scored 2913 runs and taken 103 wickets.
But it is the performance of the bowling unit that has been truly spectacular. Blessing Muzarabani delivered one of the best performances of his career vs Australia. He kept Australia in check for the rest of the match, returning with a figure of 4/17 in his 4 overs. Earlier, he picked up a 3-fer vs Oman, totalling 7 wickets.
All-rounder Brad Evans has had a lack of opportunities with the bat, but he has played an important role with the ball, taking 6 wickets while left-arm pacer Richard Ngarava has taken 3 wickets vs Oman. The likes of Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, and Wellington Masakadza can take advantage of the sluggish surface in Pallekele.
ZIM Over/Under Betting Tips
Brian Bennett has smashed a total of 14 fours this world cup, averaging 7 fours per match. He is the leading run-scorer for Zimbabwe and play's a really safe game maneuvering the ball into the gaps and is more of a boundary hitter. You can bank on him to hit 3 or more fours in this must win fixture against Ireland on a good batting track at Pallekele where the outfield is lightning fast.
The young left-handed batter is making quite an impression at the top of the order for Zimbabwe. He has already played a couple of handy knocks, scoring 21 against Oman followed by a solid 35 against Australia. He possesses a sound technique and is equally adept at playing both fast and spin bowlers. Considering his form in the tournament so far, he is a bankable player to score over 15.5 runs in today's match against Ireland.
Brian Bennett scored a match winning knock of 64 runs in 56 balls against Australia and before that in the first match against Oman he managed to score 48* runs in 36 balls. In both the matches he has remained unbeaten and steered his side home to victory. He will be aiming to carry his good run of form against Ireland and his runs at the top will be crucial for Zimbabwe in a crucial match.
Zimbabwe Predicted Playing XI:
Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Mayers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, and Blessing Muzarabani.
Zimbabwe Key Players From Previous Game Of ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2026
PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
Weather Conditions
The weather forecast in Pallekele on matchday doesn't look very promising. There is light rain expected from early in the morning throughout the day with a 30-40% chance of rain during the match. The temperature will be on the cooler side at around 21°C. There will be light to moderate winds at around 12-20 kmph.
IRE vs ZIM Pitch Report
Pitch Condition
BalancedBatting Conditions
High ScoringPace Bowling
Pace BounceSpin Bowling
Average Turn
The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele usually provides a good batting pitch in T20s. There is true bounce on the offer from the surface and fast outfield help in scoring rate. Batters can play their shots freely once they are settled in. Pacers find some early movement with the new ball, while the spin bowlers come into attack later in the inning.
The first innings average score at the venue is 171, and Australia holds the record for the highest total at the venue, 263 runs vs Sri Lanka, while 83 is the lowest total. In this tournament, Sri Lanka went on to score 225 runs in the first match at the venue.
Total Over/Under Betting Tips
We back Zimbabwe to win the coin toss in match 32 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 against Ireland at Pallekele International Stadium.
Toss: To Bowl
The captain that wins the toss might prefer to bowl first. Although the first-batting team has won 16 out of 30 T20I matches, it is a high-scoring ground that is not likely to change much. In fact, out of the last five matches played at the venue, the chasing team has won 3 times.
IRE vs ZIM
Winning Prediction
Zimbabwe are favourites in this Group B clash. They have won both matches, including a shock win over Australia, and sit second. Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani set good starts, while Blessing Muzarabani (7 wickets) leads a strong bowling attack. Ireland got one win over Oman but struggled at the top. Zimbabwe should win this match and get close to a Super 8 qualification.
Zimbabwe to win.
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