Great opportunity for Oman to showcase depth in T20 format: OC official Joshi
The high-stakes tournament from October 8-17 will bring together nine top Associate nations from Asia and the EAP region, all competing for three crucial spots at the global tournament to be held in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.
The ICC's decision at its 2024 AGM to merge the Asia and East Asia-Pacific qualification pathways has elevated the competitiveness of this event.
'The ICC has done a phenomenal job during the 2024 AGM by integrating the Asia and East Asia-Pacific regions into one competitive qualifier,' said Alkesh Joshi, Oman Cricket Treasurer.
'This gives both regions an equitable platform — three spots for nine determined teams — to prove their mettle and qualify for the global showpiece in 2026.'
The tournament will take place in two stages: a Group Stage from October 8 to 10, followed by a Super Six Stage from October 12 to 17.
The format is straightforward — teams are split into three groups of three, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage.
At the end of the Super Six, the top three teams will earn their place in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, which will feature 20 teams.
Oman enters the tournament with high hopes, not just as the host but also as a serious contender.
'This is a great opportunity for Oman to showcase our depth in the shorter format,' Joshi emphasised.
'We are the only associate nation from Asia to have participated in three ICC T20 World Cups in the past decade, and our boys are hungry to make it a fourth.'
Recent performances have buoyed Oman's confidence, including their win in the Bowl Cup at the Hong Kong Super Sixes 2024 where they defeated several internationally recognized teams.
'The team has been training intensively, and playing at home gives us an added advantage. Familiar conditions, passionate supporters, and strong board backing all combine to boost our confidence,' Joshi said.
Warm-up matches will be played between October 3 and 6 across venues in Muscat, helping teams acclimatize and prepare. Fixtures include Oman facing Kuwait and Nepal, while other participating teams like UAE, PNG, Japan, and Samoa will also get valuable match practice.
Beyond the cricketing action, Oman Cricket is making concerted efforts to make the event inclusive and celebratory.
'As a board, we are fully committed to providing our players with world-class preparation platforms. We also want this tournament to be a celebration for fans,' said Joshi. 'That's why entry to all matches at Amerat will be free. We invite the community to turn out in numbers and cheer for the team.'
Joshi also expressed gratitude to local authorities. He said, 'We sincerely thank the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for their unwavering support in Oman's cricketing journey. Hosting major ICC events elevates Oman's status in the global sporting arena.'
'This tournament is a celebration of associate cricket. Hosting it in Oman proves we are not just participants but contributors to the growth of global cricket,' added the senior Oman Cricket functionary.
Warm-Up matches: October 3–6: Oman vs Kuwait, UAE vs PNG, Japan vs Samoa (Oct 3); Malaysia vs Samoa, Oman vs Nepal (Oct 4); UAE vs Japan, Kuwait vs Qatar (Oct 5); Nepal vs Qatar, Malaysia vs PNG (Oct 6).
Group stage fixtures: October 8–10: Oman vs Samoa, UAE vs Qatar, Nepal vs Kuwait (Oct 8); Malaysia vs Qatar, Kuwait vs Japan, PNG vs Samoa (Oct 9); UAE vs Malaysia, Nepal vs Japan, Oman vs PNG (Oct 10).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
6 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Siraj completes 5-wicket haul; India beat England by 6 runs
Oval: India scored a dramatic 6-run win from the jaws of defeat when they took four remaining England wickets at the Oval on the fifth and final day of the last Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, levelling the series at 2-2. Jamie Overton started the day with two boundaries which almost made the match academic but Mohammed Siraj struck in the second over of the day, sending back Jamie Smith for just 2 runs. Siraj struck again when he sent back Overton for 9 for his 4-wicket haul as India smelled an unlikely victory. Prasidh also stuck when he rattled Josh Tongue stumps with the visitors needing just 1 wicket to win. Siraj took the last wicket and won the match for his team.
Times of Oman
13 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Farhan, Ayub shine as Pakistan clinch T20 series against West Indies
Florida : Fifties from Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub cruise Pakistan to win the third and final T20 against West Indies by 13 runs to clinch the three-match series 2-1 at Florida, on Monday. Pakistan skipper Salman Agha won the toss and opted to bat. Pakistan's opening pair of Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan gave Pakistan a flying start, adding 47 runs without any loss in the powerplay. They continued to build on the momentum and extended Pakistan's dominance by taking the team's total to 82 without loss at mid-way through the innings as Farhan completed his third T20I half-century. Ayub joined his partner and completed his second T20I fifty, bringing up the 100-run opening stand for Pakistan. The duo added 138 runs for the opening wicket before Shamar Joseph removed Farhan for 74 in the 17th over. Hasan Nawaz played a couple of big shots before losing his wicket to Roston Chase, followed by Haris getting himself run out as West Indies made a comeback in the match. Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf slammed 19 runs in the final over as Pakistan finished their innings at 189/4. In reply, while chasing 190 runs, West Indies openers Alick Athanaze and Jerlani Andrew also gave their team a flying start, adding 44 runs for the opening wicket before Haris Rauf dismissed Andrew for 24 in the 5th over. Skipper Shai Hope's run drought with the bat continued as he was dismissed for seven by Mohammad Nawaz in the 9th over. Athanaze brought up his maiden T20I fifty in the 11th over, he added 10 more runs to his total before Ayub removed him for 60 in the following over. Roston Chase made 15 but failed to get going and retired with 41 runs left to win in 18 balls for West Indies. Sherfane Rutherford made a vital fifty off 35 runs and tried to get his side over the line, but the home side eventually fell 13 runs short of the target.
Times of Oman
13 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Root hails "consistent" Brook for century, calls Siraj a "warrior"
London : England batter Joe Root was full of praise for fellow Yorkshire mate Harry Brook following their 195-run partnership and the youngster's explosive counter-attacking ton, hailing his "consistency" and pointing out that he is not a "one-off fluke". Brook's explosive 111 in 98 balls, along with a classic Root century, dashed India's hopes of an easy win while defending a massive 374, as the action heads to the final day, with 35 runs and three/four wickets (depending on Chris Woakes' availability to bat), still up for grabs for an English series win or a series draw. Speaking about batting with Brook, Root said that it is "always a pleasure.' "We have both got very contrasting games, but I think that works well in our favour. He plays slightly more expansively than I do and has a fantastic array of shots, but what I admire most is the amount of pressure he puts back on the opposition, the way he takes calculated risks at the right moments, and how he can open a game completely up, as he did today, it is great," he said. Root said that it is amazing being a "second fiddle" to Brook and watching his fine shotmaking from the "best seat in the house". "He ia an incredible talent and it is not like he is a one-off fluke. He has got 10 hundreds playing in a very similar manner. He is incredibly consistent at it and there is definitely a huge amount of method behind what he does. The impact that it has had on this test match is why we are sitting here only needing 35 to win. It has been an incredible knock," he added. Speaking about his frustration about getting out to Prasidh Krishna, with whom he had a heated exchange during the first innings, Root said that his frustration had more to do with not being able to finish the game and it was not because of what transpired earlier between two. "Prasidh is a proven performer. He is a brilliant player. You do not play for India as a seamer without having a huge amount of talent, and clearly he is going to do great things in the game, but it was not anything between the two of us that brought that on," he said. "That was more frustration from my part for not getting us over the line. That is what you pride yourself on as a player, as an experienced batter in that situation. You have got to be able to absorb pressure and understand that they are allowed to bowl well for periods, and then when you get your opportunities to counter that, then you take them, and I just mis-executed on that occasion." "When you are 100 not out, you do not expect that from yourself, so that is where the frustration came from. There was no overhang from what happened in the first innings or anything like that," he concluded. Root also heaped praises on Mohammed Siraj, who kept troubling England with his relentless pace and bowled 26 overs, yielding figures of 2/95, he called the bowler a "warrior". "He is someone that you want on your team. He is that kind of character. He gives everything for India, and it is credit to him for that, the way he approaches cricket. He has got this fake anger about him sometimes, which I can see straight through." "You can tell he is actually a really nice lad. But he tries incredibly hard. He is a very skilful player." "There is a reason why he's got the wickets he has, because one, his work ethic and two, his skill level. I enjoy playing against him. He always has a big smile on his face, and he will give everything for his team. I guess you could not want anything more of that as a fan watching, and a great example to any young player starting out," he concluded. In the ongoing series, Siraj is the top wicket-taker with 20 scalps at an average of over 36, with a six-fer to his name and has bowled the most overs across both teams, with 181.2 overs. Coming to the Test match, England ended the first session of day four at 164/3, needing 210 runs to win, with Harry Brook (38*) and Joe Root (23*) unbeaten. After England opted to bat first, they reduced India to 153/6. A 58-run partnership between Karun Nair (57 in 109 balls, with eight fours) and Washington Sundar (26 in 55 balls, with three fours) was the most meaningful part of the inning as India was bundled out for 224 runs. Apart from Gus Atkinson's five-wicket haul, Josh Tongue (3/57) was also good. In the second innings, four-fers from Siraj (4/83) and Prasidh Krishna (4/62) reduced England to 247, despite a 92-run opening stand between Zak Crawley (64 in 57 balls, with 14 fours) and Ben Duckett (43 in 38 balls, with five fours and two sixes). They led by 23 runs. In India's second innings, key contributions came from Yashasvi Jaiswal (118 in 164 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes), Akash Deep (66 in 94 balls, with 12 fours), Ravindra Jadeja (53 in 77 balls, with five fours) and Washington Sundar (53 in 46 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes). They all took India to 396 runs, giving them a 373-run lead and setting a target of 374 runs for England to win the series. At the end of day four's play, England was 339/6, with Jamie Overton (0*) and Jamie Smith (2*) unbeaten. England still need 35 runs to win, with uncertainty over Chris Woakes coming to bat or not after a shoulder injury. Wickets from Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna towards the end and a relentless spell from Mohammed Siraj towards the end of the session give India fans some hope that India will make the Three Lions toil really hard for these remaining runs.
