ODI record broken in USA's defiant Al-Amerat defence
By Daniel Beswick
Records have been rewritten in Cricket World Cup League 2 action in Oman, with the USA defending 122 against the tri-series hosts - the lowest successfully defended totals in men's ODIs and excluding matches with a revised target or reduced overs.
Oman v USA, League 2 ODI, Scorecard
In conditions heavily favouring spin, it was the metronomic work of Nosthush Kenjige that led the American charge, claiming figures of 5/11 from 7.3 overs to sink the hosts for just 65. The score is Oman's lowest in the men's international format.
While the surface at the Oman Cricket Academy has shown more zip in previous years, most notably at the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup, the recent ODI tri-series which forms part of Cricket World Cup 2027 qualification has seen conditions suit slower bowlers.
Not a single over of pace was bowled in the match, with Oman's five-pronged spin attack matched by USA's Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Yasir Mohammad and Kenjige.
Electing to bowl in the hope of emulating their spin success against Namibia two days prior, the hosts stifled Monank Patel's side, with the skipper (0) one of the five baters to fall inside the first 13 overs.
Aaron Jones (16) and Sanjay Krishnamurthi (16) fought in spite of the elements, though it was Milind (47*) on a solo mission, hitting six boundaries to move the score past three figures.
The Americans lasted just 35.3 overs with Shakeel Ahmad's 3/20, the best for the Omanis, though the effort would be usurped by their opposition's spin quartet.
Milind's off-spin (2/17) claimed the key wicket of Oman captain Jatinder Singh (7), and the men from the Sultanate showed little resolve in their chase. Harmeet (1/25) and Yasir's 2/10 complimented Kenjige, who wrapped up proceedings by trapping No.11 Siddharth Bukkapatnam (0).
Watch Cricket World Cup League 2 live and FREE on ICC.tv (in select regions) ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 23-27 News USA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
29 minutes ago
- Gulf Today
Alcaraz and Sabalenka enter quarters as Swiatek survives Rybakina scare
Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz won a war of attrition with American 13th seed Ben Shelton to reach the French Open quarter-finals on Monday. The Spaniard emerged victorious 7-6 (10/8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 after over three hours of blistering serves and power-hitting on Court Philippe Chatrier. Another American awaits Alcaraz in the last eight after 12th seed Tommy Paul earlier defeated Alexei Popyrin in straight sets. The four-time Grand Slam winner edged a tight first set, which produced only one unconverted break point, at the end of a lengthy tiebreak that saw both players have chances to clinch the opener. When Alcaraz finally forced a break against the big-serving Shelton in the second set, it was enough for him to move into a two-set lead. But once again Alcaraz failed to see out a straight-sets victory as Shelton produced two breaks of serve to edge the most open of the four frames. The 22-year-old nonetheless bounced back to gain the advantage in the fourth set, before serving out as dusk descended over centre court. World number one Aryna Sabalenka reached her 10th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final with a straight-sets win over Amanda Anisimova. Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka reacts after a point during her women's singles match against US Amanda Anisimova on day 8 of the French Open tennis tournament. AFP The Belarusian battled through a tight opening set against the American 16th seed and then needed eight match points to clinch a 7-5, 6-3 victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Sabalenka, who was the pre-tournament favourite, will face Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the last eight after the Chinese star edged past Liudmila Samsonova. Iga Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth successive French Open title alive as she fought back from a set and a break down to defeat Elena Rybakina. The four-time Roland Garros champion, who has been struggling for her best form and has not reached a final since winning the title last year, was in serious trouble when trailing 2-0 in the second set. But the 24-year-old dug deep to clinch a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory. Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. The Pole will next face Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, who knocked out 2024 losing finalist Jasmine Paolini, in the last eight on Tuesday. Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after beating Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina. Swiatek is now on a 25-match winning streak at the French Open and boasts a remarkable 39-2 win-loss record in the tournament. Rybakina had won both of her previous career meetings with Swiatek on clay and the Kazakh dominated the opening set, hammering 12 winners past her bewildered opponent. 'Well it was tough you know, first set I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner,' said Swiatek. 'I needed to do something to get back in the game, but with her playing like that I didn't feel like I had much hope.' Rybakina broke in the first game of the second set as she threatened to run away with the match. But Swiatek impressively turned the set around with a run of five straight games. Elena Rybakina in action. AFP The fifth seed looked to have finally seized total control with a break to lead 4-3 in the deciding set, only to hand it straight back. Swiatek was one game from defeat when trailing 5-4, but she managed to end Rybakina's resistance and held her nerve to serve out the match. Svitolina made the quarter-finals for the fifth time with a comeback 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 win over last year's runner-up Paolini, saving three match points in a dramatic opening match on Court Philippe Chatrier. The former world number three, who has never made a Grand Slam final, will be bidding to reach a first Roland Garros semi-final when she faces Swiatek. 'I still cannot believe that this match finished my way,' said Svitolina. 'It was a really difficult match today, Jasmine was playing really well. It was really tough for me but I'm very happy I was able to stay composed and fight until the very last point.' Fourth seed Paolini, who won the Italian Open last month, fell to the same opponent for the second straight major tournament. The Chinese eighth seed extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 10 matches, winning 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Agencies
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Sinner and Zverev reach French Open last 16, Pegula digs deep to beat Vondrousova
World number one Jannik Sinner powered into the French Open last 16 on Saturday alongside last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev as American Jessica Pegula and Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva ensured their campaigns continue into week two. Italian Sinner eased through 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 against outclassed world number 34 Jiri Lehecka hours before the kick-off between Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain for European club football's biggest prize. 'It was a very great match from my side,' said the top-seeded Italian. 'I think the start of each set, with early break he gave me, then the confidence to keep going, and I'm very happy about today's match. 'I don't think there's much I could improve.' Three-time Grand Slam winner Sinner next meets Russia's Andrey Rublev, the beneficiary of a walkover to the fourth round after France's Arthur Fils withdrew injured on Friday. 'Andrey is an incredible player,' said Sinner. 'I have to be focused. He's rested. So let's see what's coming.' Sinner has been finding his feet since his comeback from a three-month doping ban, reaching the Italian Open final where he lost to reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz. And the 23-year-old has continued his fine form on the clay of Roland Garros where he has not dropped a set, extending his winning streak at Grand Slam events to 17 matches after titles at the 2024 US Open and Australian Open this January. British fifth Jack Draper proved too strong for Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca, winning 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to progress through to the fourth round, where he will meet Alexander Bublik. German third seed Zverev, who lost last year's final to Alcaraz, won 6-2, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 on Court Philippe Chatrier against Hamburg champion Flavio Cobolli. 'This court is very special to me. I had some of the best memories of my life on this court, but I also had some of the worst memories on this court,' said Zverev, who picked up a bad ankle injury in the 2022 semi-finals against Rafael Nadal. 'It's a love story that hasn't got to the happy end yet, but I hope someday it will.' In the women's tournament, American third seed Jessica Pegula battled into the last 16 with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Czech Marketa Vondrousova. Pegula, last year's US Open runner-up, next meets unheralded Lois Boisson, ranked 361, the last French player competing in Roland Garros. Boisson fought through the pain to see off 138th-ranked countrywoman Elsa Jacquemot 6-3, 0-6, 7-5. US Jessica Pegula plays a forehand return to Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova during their women's singles match on day 7 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on Saturday. AFP 'Obviously.. going to have some crazy support,' said Pegula. 'I think it will be fun. It will be cool to be a part of that.' The 31-year-old, who missed the 2024 tournament due to injury, is hoping to better her previous best run in Paris which was a quarter-final appearance three years ago. Earlier, 18-year-old Andreeva eased into the last 16 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Kazakh Yulia Putintseva. Sixth seed Andreeva took 78 minutes to dispatch Putinstseva to set up a showdown with Daria Kasatkina, ranked 17. Kasatkina, now playing for Australia after switching allegiance from her native Russia, got past Spanish 10th seed Paula Badosa 6-1, 7-5 in their third round match. Andreeva is competing in just her ninth Grand Slam event, but the teenager has now reached the second week in five of them. After a closely-contested first set, Andreeva took control winning nine of the last 10 games of the match. 'I felt a little nervous before the match, but overall, throughout I felt like I could do whatever I want on the court,' said Andreeva. 'Like, you know, I felt free. 'I'm happy that with every match I play, I feel better and better. I think that this is a good thing. Agence France-Presse
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Gulf Today
Dubai Basketball keep title dreams alive with thrilling win over Partizan
A game for the books, Dubai Basketball edged out seven-time ABA League champions Partizan Mozzart Bet in Game 2 of the semi-finals – winning the pivotal clash 100:95 in the final five minutes of overtime. Dubai welcomed Serbian powerhouse Partizan Mozzart Bet to Coca-Cola Arena on Thursday night following a shocking loss in Belgrade in the first leg of the semi-final. Needing this win to keep their league ambitions alive, Dubai Basketball prepared for what would be one of their best games this season. A stark contrast from Game 1 of the semis, Dubai Basketball kept Partizan on edge with unrelenting momentum and strong defensive tactics. Hailing Dubai for their response, Partizan coach Zeljko Obradovic spoke about the intensity of playing Dubai at home, 'We knew they would try to be aggressive here [in Dubai], and they were.' Dubai's physicality and determination were evident from the beginning moments of the first quarter. Holding a narrow three-point lead in the second quarter, the team gained confidence as they landed crucial three-pointers, pushing ahead into the second half. However, Partizan quickly retaliated, with American guard Carlik Jones and Belgian international Frank Ntilikina making an early impact and keeping the contest tight. Leading by example was captain and Man of the Match, Klemen Prepelić. The Slovenian shooting guard has often been praised for his role in the debutant team, but his performance on Thursday night outshone his previous milestones for the team. Making him the night's top scorer, Prepelic contributed 30 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. A scoreline that only another Dubai Basketball team member came close to – Nate Mason's perfectly executed free throws in the last 14 seconds of regulation time are what equalised the score and forced Partizan into overtime. Praising the team's resilience, Dubai Basketball head coach Jurica Golemac said, 'I'm very proud. We didn't surrender; we didn't give up. You could see it in the players—the emotions in their eyes. We didn't want the season to end, and that was obvious.' With over 7,000 fans in attendance, Dubai looked more confident than ever in the extra period. Spurred on by the home crowd, they secured the final points of the night and sealed a crucial win to force a deciding third game in Belgrade on Sunday.
