Tuesday 17 / December / 2024
MUSCAT: Oman staged a nail-biting two-run win against Bahrain in their crucial group stage encounter of the Gulf Cup T20 Championship on Tuesday at the ICC Academy ground in Dubai, keeping their title defence alive.
It was Duleep Mendis-coached side’s second victory after their loss to the hosts UAE in the previous game. Oman had begun their title defence with a win over Qatar in the six-nation tournament.
The win meant that Oman stay in the hunt for a spot in the final, now sitting third in the standings, level on points with Kuwait and Bahrain, all with 4 points. Kuwait hold the advantage with a superior net run rate (NRR) of 0.601, while Oman follow with 0.217, and Bahrain is just behind with 0.178. UAE, with 6 points from three matches, lead the group.
On Tuesday, Oman, out to bat, set a modest total of 130/8 in their 20 overs.
Mohammad Nadeem top-scored with a resilient 47 off 49 balls, helping Oman recover from early setbacks.
A key fifth wicket partnership of 50 runs between Nadeem and Vinayak Shukla (33 off 24 balls) kept the momentum going after Oman were reduced to 52/4 in ninth over. Shukla's quick 33 and Sufyan Mehmood’s 11, helped Oman a 130 with Wasim Ali chipping in with 10.
Bahrain's bowlers kept the pressure on, with Imran Khan (2/19), Imran Anwar (2/29) and Rizwan Butt (2/23) being the most successful. Abdul Majid took one, as they restricted Oman to a modest total.
Chasing 131, Bahrain faced early setbacks as Oman's bowlers, led by Mehran Khan and Mohammad Nadeem, struck early blows, leaving them 46/2 in eight overs. Prashant Kurup (5) was dismissed by Khan, and Sarfaraz Ali (11) followed shortly after. Asif Ali, however, countered with a brilliant 52 off 44 balls, supported by Ahmer Bin Nasir (25).
Aamir Kaleem's crucial wicket of Asif Ali and Samay Shrivastav’s two key strikes, including Haider Ali (16) and Ahmer Bin Nasir, swung the game in Oman's favour.
Bahrain’s collapse continued, with Shakeel Ahmed dismissing both Imran Anwar (0) and Sai Sarthak (2), leaving Bahrain struggling at 113/7.
Bahrain needed 14 to win in the final over against Shakeel and stole nine off 4 balls including a six by Rizwan Butt but a runout off the penultimate ball of Junaid Aziz meant Bahrain required five to win off the last ball and they could score only 2 as Bahrain fell short, finishing at 128/8 in 20 overs.
Oman now gear up for their next challenge against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday before their crucial match against Kuwait on December 20. The top-two teams in the league format will vie for the title the next day.
Brief scores: Oman 130/8 (Mohammed Nadeem 47, Vinayak Shukla 33; Imran Khan 2/19, Imran Anwar 2/29, Rizwan Butt 2/23) beat Bahrain 128/8 (Asif Ali 52, Ahmed Bin Nasir 25; Shakeel Ahmed 2/20, Samay Shrivastav 2/25).
