“We’ve To Start The Tournament Pretty Hot”: Ireland’s Lorcan Tucker Ahead Of T20 World Cup Opener vs Sri Lanka

Ireland wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker stressed the importance of beginning strongly as his side prepares to face co-hosts Sri Lanka in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign-opener on Sunday. Ireland are placed in Group B alongside Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman and Zimbabwe, with their first match scheduled at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Tucker acknowledged the tough competition in their group and said Ireland cannot afford any slip-ups in the early stages of the tournament. “I think we know that we have to start the tournament pretty hot. We’ve got two big games against the two big teams in our group straight away, so I suppose we can’t take any liberties in that sense. We know we have to show up tomorrow and play well and hopefully win one of these first two games,” he said.

Tucker expressed confidence in Ireland’s preparation, highlighting their productive two-week training block in Dubai, which included five matches against Italy. He said the team feels well-equipped heading into the tournament.

“(On Ireland’s training ahead of the T20 WC) I think pretty well. We had two good weeks in Dubai before this, I think leading into it, so we feel like we’ve had enough cricket. We had five games against Italy in the UAE. We’ve had a nice week here, I think the weather’s been a bit mixed. We’ve noticed there’s been a fair bit of rain around, but I think we’ve still been able to get a lot of work done. The facilities have been very good, so we’ve been fortunate in that sense. First day at the Premadasa here, the ground looks in great shape, so I think everyone’s pretty excited for tomorrow,” he added.