Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo Pitch Report, Weather Report for ZIM vs OMN Match 8- ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Zimbabwe vs Oman will be played at Colombo (SSC) [Source: nibraz88cricket/X.com]

Zimbabwe and Oman are set to face off in Match 8 of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Stadium in Colombo on February 9, at 3 PM (IST).

The Africans are returning to international action for the first time since the tri-series played in Pakistan in November. During that series, they won one match against Sri Lanka by 67 runs and lost the other 4 matches as they crashed out of the series early.

Since then, the Sikandar Raza-led side has played two warm-ups — one against the Netherlands, defeating them by 29 runs, followed by a 4-wicket loss to Oman.

On the other side of things, Oman last played competitive cricket in the Asia Cup Rising Stars, winning against the UAE there. Upon reaching the sub-continent, they lost a warm-up against Sri Lanka A but gained some confidence by chasing 188 against Zimbabwe.

Jatinder Singh's 55 (33) and Jiten Ramanandi's 35* (18) were the notable knocks on the day, to go with 3/22 (4) from Sufyan Mehmood in the first innings.

Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo Pitch Report for ZIM vs OMN- Match 8, T20 World Cup 2026

(Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, T20I stats)

So far, only three T20Is have been played at the Colombo (SSC) stadium, and two of these games have been won by teams chasing the total. The first match of the tournament between Pakistan and the Netherlands saw a tinge of green, helping the seamers upfront, but the pitch slowed down drastically towards the second half of the second innings.

Historically, pacers have had considerable help at the venue, especially if they can mix up their pace. However, the last fixture saw spinners bowling well and getting crucial breakthroughs. Overall, it will be a mixed bag wicket on Monday, where everyone will have a bit of help. The team winning the toss will prefer bowling first, if we go by the record.

Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo Weather Report for ZIM vs OMN- Match 8, T20 World Cup 2026

The temperature in Colombo will be high at 32°C and feels like 34°C during the afternoon match of Day 3, with some wind gusts to potentially help the seamers with the new ball. It will also be a fairly humid day, and the team fielding in the first innings will feel it.

To go with the wind gusts, the overcast conditions will also help the pacers find some movement while it remains shiny. However, despite the overcast conditions, the probability of precipitation is 0%, which promises a full match of cricket. The conditions will probably get tricky towards the end, and a team batting first will fancy their chances if they get 170-175.

Conclusion

From what was evident in the tournament opener and the weather conditions on Monday, everything is lining up for a good 165-170 run T20I match. No rain interruptions are expected, and every facet of the teams will have a role to play. Considering the strengths of both teams, Zimbabwe would like to believe in their chances in such conditions.