T20 World Cup 2026 – Mark Adair: I don’t think we need to justify ourselves

“The wicket looks pretty good by all accounts,” Adair told reporters on Monday. “Kandy is probably the best cricket wicket in Sri Lanka, so I’m looking forward to it.”

“Every other day we get called an Associate by somebody,” Adair noted. “We always feel that there is a need to justify ourselves. I personally don’t think that is the case, but some strong performances against big teams help. The last game showed us we have what it takes.”

Against Oman, Ireland posted the second-highest ever score at a T20 World Cup, a high-octane performance built on the “brilliant” captaincy of stand-in captain Lorcan Tucker and the devastating finish of George Dockrell. However, Adair was quick to point out that the onus is now on the bowling unit to “kick on.”

“The last game was a bit of a record-breaking one for us. It’s nice to see a couple of boys come in and really dominate … it’s probably the bowlers, if we’re honest, to try and kick on now and really try to secure a good win.”

“I like having Josh in the team, I think he brings experience,” Adair said, referring to Little’s appearance in an IPL final. “Those big moments or the clutch moments, it’s always nice to have that little bit extra.”

The upcoming clash against Zimbabwe promises to be a battle of execution rather than mystery. Both sides are intimately familiar with each other’s rosters, having faced each other 16 times in T20Is; Ireland just played Afghanistan more often. Adair highlighted Zimbabwe’s bowling attack, specifically the threat posed by Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava, as one of the most challenging in the tournament.

“I played with and against Blessing for a long time,” Adair noted. “They’re probably as good a bowling group as you’ll find in this competition. We’ve played them a lot. We’ve seen a lot of these guys. There shouldn’t be any surprises for us.”

A defeat on Tuesday would guarantee elimination, while a win would keep their faint glimmer of hope alive – even if qualification is now out of their hands. But despite the high stakes, the Irish camp maintains a sense of community. The stands were filled with a vocal contingent of friends and family, many of whom were “the charge” of the team hotels.

“Yeah, I think they’re enjoying themselves. There’s a couple of parents – they’ll remain nameless for now I think – but yeah, there’s a couple of parents who’ve led the charge. I’d be lying if I said my parents weren’t involved too. But no, yeah, like it’s brilliant to see them all and we’ve got such a tight-knit group, so it’s good for everyone’s parents and I think well of the parents.”

But while the families celebrate, the players keep their celebrations “sensitive”. With the games tightly packed and the physical toll of travel looming, the team is prioritizing recovery over socializing. As Adair put it, nobody wants to nurse a hangover during a five-hour mountain bus ride.