IRELAND coach John Bracewell has called on his side to show courage when they start their World Twenty20 campaign against Oman in Dharamsala on Wednesday.

“We have a simple approach, we have three games, we have to win three games and that is realistic. You have to have the courage to take sides down. We have the firepower in bowling and the skills in the batting,” said Bracewell.

However, the feelgood factor of Ireland's 10 wickets victory over Hong Kong on Thursday lasted less than 48 hours as they lost their final warm-up match by six wickets.

Zimbabwe, the team they defeated in each of their last two global events, were their conquerors and it leaves Ireland relying on the perfect performance in each of their next three games if they are to get past the first round stage.

Oman, who defeated Scotland in their first warm-up game, are their first opponents on Wednesday followed on Friday by Bangladesh, who have just defeated World Twenty20 holders Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Asia Cup.

The group stage ends next Sunday with a game against the Netherlands who have won the last two games between the teams in the shortest format.

The batsmen may have the skills but that they are still too inconsistent in this power-hitting game to go into any match with confidence. Yesterday, William Porterfield (31 off 29 balls) and Gary Wilson (38 off 35) were the only batsmen in the top seven to get past the 14 which Paul Stirling made from just nine balls at the start of the innings, including two sixes.

The fact that a total of 155 for eight was their highest in T20 cricket since the defeats to Scotland last June is a damning indictment and explains why, since then, they have won only three of the eight matches in which they have batted first. This was their first non-Associate opposition and their third defeat in the last five.

The bowling relies too much on Boyd Rankin, Tim Murtagh and Andy McBrine and if the former two do not strike early then Ireland are consistently on the back foot. To his credit Craig Young has stepped up to the task and was the most economical bowler yesterday, while McBrine has now leapfrogged George Dockrell as the No 1 spin bowler.

Unfortunately, despite conceding just six runs off his first two overs, McBrine's third went for 19 and Zimbabwe were left with the simple task of scoring 35 from the last six overs with eight wickets remaining.

Young picked up a deserved wicket in the next over but that included one of the 11 sixes in the Zimbabwe innings – Ireland hit only five in theirs – and still there at the other end was the captain, Hamilton Mazakadza who even took Rankin to his liking in the 17th over, hitting the England Test bowler for two consecutive sixes.