Ireland head coach relieved as T20 World Cup group remains unchanged

Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan expressed relief that their group was not swapped for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup, stating it would have impacted their preparation.

Ireland are in Group C alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe, and Oman.

"We have been preparing according to the T20 World Cup schedule," Malan told Cricbuzz. "Adaptability and creating a mindset that can handle different situations in Sri Lanka is key. We focus on playing what's in front of us—conditions, game situation, opposition—reinforcing our game plans so the players can play with freedom."

Malan downplayed Ireland's loss to Italy in the third T20I in Dubai on January 26, despite it being Italy's first win against a full ICC member.

"We had three competitive games against Italy here in the UAE. They are a competitive team, and it was good preparation for the T20 World Cup," he said.

"We had four training sessions before the first game and didn't hit the ground running as well as we'd have liked in the last match. But as we keep playing and preparing over the next week, including two games against the UAE, we'll keep improving and sharpening our skills."

Malan highlighted the importance of senior players for Ireland's World Cup campaign and looked ahead to their opening match against Sri Lanka in Colombo on February 8.

"Our senior players—Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Josh Little, Paul Stirling, to name a few—are really important spokes in our wheel. We look forward to their consistent performances to drive the team forward," he said.

"We are very much looking forward to taking on the hosts in front of what's hopefully a sold-out crowd at the Premadasa and getting our campaign off to a momentum-building start."