T20 World Cup: Lorcan Tucker’s 94 keeps Ireland’s hopes alive in Group B

While Tucker captained the injured Paul Stirling, it was Tim Tector who opened the batting in place of the Belfast man.

But Ireland’s struggle for a top-order partnership continued with Shakeel Ahmed doing the damage.

Celebrating wickets in the style of Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, the 38-year-old was responsible for Tim Tector (5), Ross Adair (14) and Harry Tector (14) in the powerplay as Ireland went down 47-3 after six overs.

With Curtis Campher, who bagged 12 from seven balls, also absent, it was up to all-rounder Gareth Delany to team up with Tucker and give Ireland’s batting a much-needed impetus.

The duo’s partnership of 101 runs from 56 balls took Ireland from a shaky start to a position to take them to their highest ever T20 international total.

While Delany’s 56 off 30 balls included seven boundaries, it was Tucker’s efforts that grabbed the headlines.

An imaginative innings of 10 fours and four sixes, the only scare being that the third umpire stunned Vinayak Shukla to rule that Oman’s wicketkeeper had dislodged the bails before the ball was in his hands as Ireland 67-4.

Tucker certainly made the most of the reprieve as he pressed for his best knock of the tournament so far, eclipsing Tim Seifert’s 89 for New Zealand against the UAE.

When George Dockrell, who plundered 35 off nine balls, faced the last three overs, his innings was frustratingly stranded at the non-striker’s end and he was denied the chance of a maiden T20 century.