All-round Oman down UAE

Jay Odedra's 3/31 followed by half-centuries from Aqib Ilyas, Shoaib Khan and Mohammad Nadeem has granted Oman their second win in Group B of ICC Men’s World Cup Qualifiers, 2023. They have defeated the UAE comfortably by five wickets and 24 balls to spare. 

It was a complete team effort from the Oman side in Bulawayo. While Odedra picked a three-for, Oman’s new ball bowlers set the tone, with Bilal Khan and Fayyaz Butt picking two wickets each. Consequently, UAE, put in to bat, were restricted to 227/8 in their 50 overs. 

UAE’s innings never gathered any momentum. The wicketkeeper batter, Vritya Aravind (49) and Rameez Shahzad (38) forged an 87-run stand for the third wicket after UAE were 16/2 but there was no partnership of substance afterwards. 

At 154/7 in 40 overs, they were in danger of getting bowled out at once. However, Aayan Afzal Khan turned out to be the savior. Batting at number eight, he scored an unbeaten 58 off 52 deliveries. 

Afzal walked in at 134/6 in 34 overs. His presence helped UAE score 93 runs in the last 16 overs. The 17-year old struck 10 fours in his knock. However, it didn’t turn out to be enough. 

Despite a shaky start, Oman cruised past their target. The openers - Jatinder Singh, Kashyap Prajapati - were dismissed within the first five overs of the run chase. Aqib Ilyas and Shoaib Khan led Oman’s recovery. They put on a 100-run stand, from 133 deliveries. Ilyas scored 53 off 75 deliveries while Shoaib was unbeaten on 52. He was also adjudged as the Player of the Match later. 

Later on, Mohammad Nadeem and Aayan Khan added 76 off 76 balls. Nadeem was unbeaten on 50 off 57 balls. He completed his fifty with the winning run which was a single. 

No UAE bowler could leave a lasting impact on the game. Junaid Siddique picked 2/31 on his nine overs. Rohan Mustafa also struck twice, giving 31 runs in six overs. 

Oman have now won both their games in the competition. Meanwhile, UAE are two losses down in two games.