Oman reaches Super Six stage of ICC WC Qualifier 2023
Muscat, The Gulf Observer: Oman made it to the Super Six stage of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 on Sunday despite going down to Scotland by 76 runs in their concluding Group B match at the Bulawayo Athletic Club, Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. Oman’s path to the Super Six was helped by Ireland’s 133-run defeat to Sri Lanka earlier in the day.
Oman and Scotland will carry the flag of the Associates in the Super Sixes from Group B while the Netherlands are the other Associate nation, having qualified from Group A. Test-playing nations Zimbabwe, West Indies (both from Group A) and Sri Lanka complete the Super Six line-up.
Oman will not be carrying any points to the next stage, with points only against fellow qualifying teams from the same group considered.
‘Proud to be in Super Sixes’
After the loss, Oman captain Zeeshan Maqsood said: “We haven’t done well in the last games. Need to take the positives. Bilal and Fayyaz bowled well. We didn’t bat well in the first half, but later Naseem’s [Khushi] innings was a positive. Very proud of making the Super Sixes. We need to come back stronger. We have hope, we have done hard work. Our goal is to play in India, we will do well.”
On Sunday, Scotland ran out easy winners against Oman with Brandon McMullen’s brilliant century setting them up for victory, their third win in a row. McMullen began this tournament with a first five-wicket haul, and he now has a maiden ODI hundred.
Christopher McBride was pinned leg before for a duck off the third ball by Oman’s pacer Bilal Khan to bring McMullen to the crease, where he joined Matthew Cross (27) to add 82 runs for the second wicket.
When the keeper was bowled by Jay Odedra (2/68), skipper Richie Berrington came in, fresh from his century against the UAE. He raced to a 62-ball 60 before a mix-up after a misfield saw the skipper run out, bringing a 138-run stand to a close.
McMullen followed for 136, the second of Bilal Khan’s five victims as Oman fought back, although Tomas Mackintosh (32) and Mark Watt (25) chipped in with some handy late runs. Bilal kept chipping away though, finishing with figures of five for 55, before two wickets in the final over, including Adrian Neill’s run-out off the last ball, saw Scotland finish on 320 all out.
Oman never threatened to chase it down, with the opening pair putting on just 25 for the first wicket in ten overs. McMullen ended that partnership when he had Kashyap Prajapati bowled for 12, with Neill then adding Jatinder Singh for 14.
Bowled was the preferred method of dismissal, with skipper Zeeshan Maqsood (8) and Aqib Ilyas (31) also succumbing to Michael Leask and Watt respectively, leaving Oman on 72 for four.
Chris Greaves (5/53) then joined the party, dismissing Mohammad Nadeem (15) and Ayaan Khan (30) to make it 120 for six.
A 105-run stand between Shoaib Khan (36) and Naseem Khushi (69) reduced the margin of victory, but Greaves dismissed both before bowling Fayyaz Butt as Oman finished on 244 for nine from their 50 overs.
