Oman stun table-toppers USA with dominant spin display
Muscat – Oman roared back into form with a commanding seven-wicket victory over group leaders USA in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 at the Oman Cricket Academy ground in Al Amerat on Wednesday.
Bouncing back from their opening defeat against Namibia on Monday, Duleep Mendis' men delivered a spin masterclass to dismantle the USA batting lineup, restricting them to a meagre 151 before skipper Jatinder Singh anchored the chase with a composed, unbeaten half-century (82).
Opting to bowl first, Oman's spin quartet – Shakeel Ahmed (4/26), Jay Odedra (3/23), Samay Shrivastava (2/34), and Wasim Ali (1/7) – left the USA in disarray, skittling them out for 151 in 42.1 overs.
Saiteja Mukkamalla fought a lone battle with a resilient 80 off 106 balls, but the rest of the USA lineup crumbled under relentless pressure.
The visitors suffered an early collapse as Shakeel Ahmed ripped through the top order, removing three of the first four batters, including captain Monank Patel, to leave the USA reeling at 36/3 inside the powerplay.
Brief resistance from Milind Kumar (12) and Aaron Jones (15) along with Mukkamalla momentarily steadied the innings, but Odedra and Shrivastava struck crucial blows to trigger another collapse. The tail offered little resistance, ensuring Oman had a modest target to chase.
In response, Oman's openers, Jatinder Singh and Aamir Kaleem, laid a solid foundation with a measured 63-run partnership.
Kaleem's patient 28 off 78 balls ended when he was trapped lbw by Harmeet Singh, but Jatinder remained rock-solid. He brought up his fifty off 88 balls, steering Oman's chase with calculated strokes.
Despite losing Hammad Mirza (12) at 97/2, Jatinder and Wasim Ali (18) stitched a crucial 32-run stand to keep Oman in firm control.
Wasim departed in the 41st over, but Jatinder, finishing unbeaten on 82 off 127 deliveries with eight fours and two sixes, alongside Vinayak Shukla (8*), guided Oman home in 45.5 overs.
Jatinder also set a new Oman record by becoming the first to have scored 12 ODI half-centuries, bettering the 11 in the name of former Oman batter Aqib Ilyas. Shakeel Ahmed was adjudged the Player of the Match for his four-wicket spell.
The emphatic victory propelled Oman to third place in the standings with 16 points, trailing only USA (18) and Canada (16), though the latter have played two fewer games. Netherlands (14) edged Scotland (14) on net run rate for fourth spot, with Namibia (12), Nepal (6), and UAE (4) rounding out the table.
Oman will look to build on this momentum when they face Namibia on February 16 before concluding the tri-series with a rematch against the USA on February 18.
Brief scores: USA 151 in 42.1 overs (Saiteja Mukkamalla 80, Aaron Jones 15; Shakeel Ahmed 4/26, Jay Odedra 3/23, Samay Shrivastava 2/34) lost to Oman 152/3 in 45.5 overs (Jatinder Singh 82 n.o., Aamir Kaleem 28; Harmeet Singh 2/20).
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