ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Match 16: SL vs OMN, head-to-head, pitch report and predicted playing XIs

Sri Lanka is set to face Oman in Match 16 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, hosted by Sri Lanka, on Thursday, 12th February 2026, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Sri Lanka will be seeking their second consecutive victory, whereas Oman will be hoping to bounce back.

Sri Lanka started off their campaign with a positive 20-run win against Ireland. Batting first, they scored 163 runs with Kusal Mendis scoring an unbeaten half-century and Kamindu scoring an aggressive knocks. The bowlers then did their job well, as Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga picked up three wickets each to seal the victory. The co-hosts will hope to carry this momentum into their next match.

Oman, on the other hand, struggled in their opening game against Zimbabwe. They were bowled out for just 103 runs, and it will be difficult for them to defend this. This batting unit will need to improve, especially the top-order batsmen, if they aim to compete strongly against the Lankan team. Vinayak Shukla and Sufyan Mehmood displayed resilience for their team in the last match, and this time, a better performance is expected from the team.

SL vs OMN: Head-to-Head in T20Is

Sri Lanka and Oman have never face each other in T20I. This will be the first encounter in this format, so there is no head-to-head record, both teams are currently at 0-0.

SL vs OMN: Pitch Report

The pitch at Pallekele is generally helpful for a contest. Fast bowlers get assistance initially with a new ball, and the batsmen also get the opportunity to score freely once they get settled. As the game progresses, the surface may slow down slightly. The average first-innings score at this venue is around 175, making it important to put up a competitive total.

See Also: ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: Points table, most runs, most wickets after ENG vs WI Match 15

SL vs OMA: Predicted Playing XIs

Sri Lanka (SL):

Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana

Oman (OMN):

Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Aamir Kaleem, Karan Sonavale, Shah Faisal, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Jiten Ramanandi, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmad, Jay Odedra