In a display of fearless cricket, filled with character and unwavering determination, Oman faced off against the formidable Australia in the Group B clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday night (Thursday morning, Oman time).
Despite their brave efforts, Oman fell short by 39 runs against the former world T20 champions, marking their second consecutive loss in the tournament. With Australia restricted to 164/5, Oman finished at 125/9.
Nevertheless, the players led by Duleep Mendis left the field with their heads held high, showcasing their unwavering spirit on the global stage.
Oman, with a spirited bowling performance, managed to limit Australia to 164/5. However, after losing early wickets to a world-class attack, they were never in contention. Nonetheless, the Omani players displayed bravery and determination at this iconic venue, leaving a lasting impression on everyone.
Prior to the match, Oman captain Aqib Ilyas confidently stated that they would not be intimidated by their opponents' reputation, and he proved true to his words as Oman, after winning the toss, chose to send the Aussies to bat.
In a display of fearless cricket, filled with character and unwavering determination, Oman faced off against the formidable Australia in the Group B clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday night (Thursday morning, Oman time).
Despite their brave efforts, Oman fell short by 39 runs against the former world T20 champions, marking their second consecutive loss in the tournament. With Australia restricted to 164/5, Oman finished at 125/9.
Nevertheless, the players led by Duleep Mendis left the field with their heads held high, showcasing their unwavering spirit on the global stage.
Oman, with a spirited bowling performance, managed to limit Australia to 164/5. However, after losing early wickets to a world-class attack, they were never in contention. Nonetheless, the Omani players displayed bravery and determination at this iconic venue, leaving a lasting impression on everyone.
Prior to the match, Oman captain Aqib Ilyas confidently stated that they would not be intimidated by their opponents' reputation, and he proved true to his words as Oman, after winning the toss, chose to send the Aussies to bat.
Mehran, Oman's standout bowler in the Super Over loss to Namibia, continued his impressive performance by dismissing Maxwell with a brilliant catch from Ilyas in the covers, leaving Australia at 50/3.
Marcus Stoinis managed to survive Mehran Khan's hat-trick ball, setting up a tough challenge for Australia's batsmen.
THE INCREDIBLE CATCH
Mehran bowled a fuller length delivery outside off to Maxwell, who hit the ball hard towards cover. Ilyas, resembling a football goalkeeper, dived to his left and took a stunning catch with both hands, almost parallel to the ground.
Ilyas' remarkable catch brought back memories of a similar effort by former captain Zeeshan Maqsood during the 2016 T20 World Cup match against Ireland in Dharamshala, India.
The team was energized by Ilyas' inspirational catch, giving them hope to contain the Australian batsmen and limit them to a competitive total.
Oman successfully held off their strong opponents in the first ten overs, showcasing their skills on the big stage.
At the halfway stage, with the score at 56/3, Oman had a strong presence in the game while the Australian team struggled to find boundaries for 30 balls.
After 12 overs, Australia's score was 63/3 and they were scoring at a slower rate than one run per ball. However, the momentum shifted when Warner hit consecutive boundaries off left-arm spinner Zeeshan Maqsood in the 13th over.
Stoinis had a stroke of luck as he was dropped twice by Oman's fielders. The first drop happened when he was on 9, and then another catching opportunity went over the boundary for a six. The wicketkeeper, Pratik Athavale, missed the chance to catch Stoinis after his outside edge induced by Ilyas.
Stoinis took advantage of his luck in the 15th over, which was Mehran's final over. Ayaan Khan made an error in judgement and caught the ball at long-off but stumbled backwards into the ropes. Stoinis then hit three more sixes, all down the ground, scoring 26 runs off the over.
In the 19th over, after reaching his half-century, Warner departed, scoring 56 runs off 51 deliveries. With this achievement, the experienced opener surpassed Aaron Finch to become Australia's highest run-scorer in this format, accumulating a total of 3,155 runs.
Stoinis, on the other hand, remained unbeaten, showcasing his skills by compiling an impressive 67 runs off just 36 balls. With his contribution, Australia managed to set a challenging total of 164 runs, losing five wickets in the process. Unfortunately, Tim David was run out on the final ball of the innings, scoring 9 runs off 4 deliveries.
CHASE FALTERS
Despite Oman's commendable effort in restricting the powerhouse team to 164/5, they faced an uphill battle during the chase. Mitchell Starc, known for his trademark swing, made an early impact with the new ball.
A review confirmed Starc's brilliance as he trapped Oman's right-hand opener, Athavale, for a golden duck in the third ball of the innings. The review showed that the ball struck the pad first, with the trajectory aligning perfectly with the middle stump.
Ellis made a crucial breakthrough at the end of the fifth over by dismissing Kashyap Prajapati LBW for seven runs off 16 balls.
Stoinis then joined the action in the following over, taking the outside edge of Ilyas’ bat to dismiss the captain for a run-a-ball 18. He struck again in the eighth over, getting Maqsood caught-behind wicket.
Despite being 34/4, Oman fought till the end, lasting the full 20 overs with one wicket in hand. Khalid Kail (8) and Ayaan put together a 22-run fifth-wicket partnership before Kail was caught by Maxwell off Starc, and Zampa bowled Shoaib Khan for a duck, leaving Oman at 57/6 in 13 overs.
Ayaan Khan was the top-scorer with 36 runs off 30 balls in the middle order, including two boundaries and two sixes. Mehran's cameo of 27 off 16 balls, with two maximums and a four, was another highlight as they shared a 32-run seventh-wicket partnership, the highest, helping Oman reach 125/9.
Adam Zampa and Ellis both took two wickets each. Stoinis was awarded the player of the match for his 36-ball 67 and 3 for 19.
