Oman creates history on World Twenty20 debut
It started as an historic day for
Oman. Wednesday (March 9) ended with the most historic, joyous win for
Oman in its cricketing journey.
In its first ever match in a global event,
Oman stunned the favourites,
Ireland, to win a heart-stopping, see-saw thriller by two wickets with two balls to spare in a Group A contest in the
ICC World Twenty20 2016.
As with most such historic victories, there were multiple heroes for Oman. Munees Ansari (3 for 37), Aamir Kaleem (1 for 27) and Khawar Ali (1 for 20) starred with the ball and helped restrict
Ireland to 154 for 5 before more heroes arose in the batting unit.
Zeeshan Maqsood and Khawar, the openers, set the platform with a 69-run stand before a stunning cameo from Aamer Ali, making his debut at the age of 37, grabbed the match from
Ireland with a 17-ball 32. In the end,
Oman finished on 157 for 8 with two deliveries to spare.
A chase of 155 was never going to be easy, especially for an inexperienced side like
Oman on a tricky pitch at the HPCA Stadium. But lack of expectations also meant it had no burden, and the freedom allowed it to express itself with the bat.
It started at the top with Maqsood and Khawar enjoying themselves and entertaining the sparse crowd. Perhaps buoyed by a brilliant catch he took earlier in the game, Maqsood began
Oman’s chase on a blazing note, toying with
Ireland’s pacers.