Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club witnessed a record-shattering performance as Ireland’s leader Lorcan Tucker turned the game on its head against Oman. On February 14, the captain strode out at No. 4 and carved out an unbeaten 94 from 51 deliveries, featuring a barrage of 10 boundaries and 4 massive sixes. This powerhouse display dethroned Rohit Sharma from second place on the list of highest T20 World Cup scores by a captain.
Sharma’s 92 off Australia in 2024 now slips to third, behind Chris Gayle’s benchmark 98 for West Indies against India back in 2010. Gayle doubles up at fourth with 88 against Australia in 2009, and Kane Williamson’s 85 for New Zealand versus Australia in Dubai 2021 completes the top five. Tucker’s feat marks a new pinnacle for Irish cricket in the T20 World Cup.
Notably, this 94-run gem is the best-ever by an Ireland batter in the competition, topping Camfer’s 72 not out from 2022 against Scotland. It also propelled Ireland to their record team score in T20 World Cups, second only to Sri Lanka’s legendary 260 against Kenya in 2007. The closing overs were pure carnage: 93 runs in the last five, ranking third all-time behind Zimbabwe’s 116 (vs Gambia, 2024) and India’s 103 (vs Afghanistan, 2024).
As Ireland eyes deeper runs in the tournament, Tucker’s innings serves as a testament to calculated aggression and leadership under pressure, redefining expectations for the Associates in white-ball cricket.