<p><em>Both sides are eliminated, but Australia's superior talent should tell in this Group B dead rubber at Pallekele.</em></p> <p>Australia's T20 World Cup campaign has not been positive, with losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka leaving them fourth in Group B and already eliminated from the tournament. Now they face Oman in a dead rubber at Pallekele, with both sides playing for pride alone.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Competition: </strong>ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, 40th Match, Group B</li> <li><strong>Venue:</strong> Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka</li> <li><strong>Date:</strong> Friday, February 20, 2026</li> <li><strong>Start Time: </strong>12:30 AM AEDT (Saturday, February 21)</li> </ul> <h2>Australia vs Oman Form and Head to Head</h2> <p>Australia hold a dominant head-to-head record against Oman in T20I cricket, including a comfortable 39-run victory at the 2024 T20 World Cup where the Aussies posted 164/5 and restricted Oman to 125/9. The gap between these two sides has historically been significant.</p> <p>That said, Australia's current form is concerning.</p> <p>They suffered a 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan immediately before the tournament, losing by 22, 90, and 111 runs, which is a brutal reality check.</p> <p>Their World Cup started brightly with a 67-run win over Ireland, but then came the collapses: a shock 23-run loss to Zimbabwe followed by an eight-wicket hammering from Sri Lanka that confirmed their exit.</p> <p>Oman have also struggled, suffering a 105-run defeat to Sri Lanka in this tournament. But at least they carry lower expectations.</p> <h2>Dead Rubber, Live Reputations on the Line</h2> <p>Captain Mitchell Marsh has returned to the XI after missing the opener with a testicular bleeding injury sustained during training… the kind of accident that sums up Australia's luck in this tournament.</p> <p>Steve Smith was called into the squad to replace the injured Josh Hazlewood, giving the Aussies an extra batting option alongside the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell.</p> <p>For Oman, skipper Jatinder Singh will look to Mohammad Nadeem and Wasim Ali to provide resistance with the bat, while Vinayak Shukla offers their best chance of making early inroads with the ball. The associate nation will be desperate to avoid another heavy defeat and bow out of the tournament with some dignity.</p> <h2>Australia vs Oman Betting Markets</h2> <p>Even with two World Cup losses on the bounce, Australia remain heavy favourites here, and it's difficult to argue against the market's assessment.</p> <p>The talent gap between a full-strength Australian side and Oman is enormous, regardless of recent results against top-tier opposition.</p> <p>Check out the full range of Australia vs Oman odds and markets available at <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/cricket">Sportsbet's cricket betting</a> before this one gets underway.</p> <p>The margin of victory market could offer some appeal given the disparity in quality. Pallekele's pitch typically offers a balanced contest early before slowing down and assisting spinners, with an average first innings total of 166 providing a useful benchmark for totals markets.</p> <h2>Australia vs Oman Prediction: Our Pick</h2> <p>Australia should have far too much firepower for Oman, and we fancy the Aussies to get the job done by a comfortable margin.</p> <p>Yes, the recent form makes grim reading: five straight T20I defeats across Pakistan and the World Cup. But context matters.</p> <p>Those tournament losses came against Zimbabwe (who qualified for the Super 8s) and Sri Lanka on home soil, which are both legitimate teams. Before that, the Pakistan series featured strong opposition and Australia were experimenting heading into the World Cup.</p> <p>Oman represent a completely different challenge. Australia's previous meeting with them resulted in a 39-run victory, and the talent gap hasn't closed. Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, and Marcus Stoinis possess match-winning ability that Oman simply cannot match.</p> <p>With Australian pride battered and bruised after this tournament, expect a motivated performance as these are professionals who'll want to leave Sri Lanka with something.</p> <p>The one risk is complacency in a dead rubber, but professional pride should ensure the Aussies turn up. We're backing Australia to win and to cover the 20-run margin, with Pallekele's batting-friendly conditions and the sheer weight of talent in the Australian lineup pointing towards a dominant display to salvage something from a forgettable campaign.</p> <h2>Keep Reading</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/cricket/icc-mens-cricket-world-cup">Who's in the frame to lift the Cricket World Cup trophy?</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/cricket/news/cricket-scoring-explained">Overs, wickets, and runs — how cricket scoring actually works</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/cricket/news/biggest-ipl-contracts">The eye-watering contracts that make IPL cricket's richest league</a></li> </ul>