Saturday 27 / April / 2024
The United Arab Emirates beat Oman by 4 wickets to clinch the 3 match ODI series at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground on Sunday.
Although the margin of victory was the same as in the first game, this one was a far more dominant performance from the visitors. For the second time in a row, they won the toss and put Oman to bat.
Jatinder Singh continued where he left off on Saturday and looked ominous in the initial overs but was dismissed for 17. Khawar Ali and Kashyap Prajapati showed glimpses of steel and flair respectively, but Oman found themselves placed precariously at 60/3 after 20 overs. Luckily for the hosts, Shoaib Khan and Ayaan Khan applied themselves in the middle much better than their predecessors and navigated the middle overs smartly. The duo stitched together a priceless 98 run partnership that reinvigorated Oman’s hopes of posting a big total. Shoaib’s aggression and feet movement against spin was particularly notable, as the pair rotated strike effectively in between boundaries to keep the pressure on the UAE fielders.
Their double dismissal in successive overs was a blow Oman could not recover from. With Basil Hameed in the form of his life with the ball, the ‘Red Brigade’ proceeded to lose their final five wickets for 35 runs and were bundled out for 195.
The UAE run chase was a far more routine affair this time. Muhammad Waseem was sent packing early, but Chirag Suri and Chundangapoyil Rizwan managed to consolidate the chase with a 72-run stand. Oman’s efforts with the ball and on the field were certainly a level above the game on Saturday. But although one titanic partnership did not take the game away from Oman, a collection of smaller ones did. Vrittya Aravind made a 45 ball 34, Muhammad Usman a 13 ball 18. All while Rizwan made one end of the wicket his own. He finished the game on an unbeaten 76 and watched proudly as Kashif Daud clinched the series for the visitors with a single in the 46th over.
Ultimately, barring a collapse from the UAE, Oman’s first innings score was never going to be enough to give them a genuine chance of winning against a batting line up that had chased down a 300 plus total in the previous game. The visitors managed to manoeuvre their way past Oman’s initial aggression prudently and played the game on autopilot for the final 30 overs.
This win also means that the UAE now find themselves occupying fourth place in Group B of the ICC CWC League two. With 11 points from 9 games, they are within touching distance of the United States, who have 14 points having played 7 games more.
Oman still lead the pack with 29 points from 22 games, but with second placed Scotland on 16 points from 12 games, their lead certainly isn’t an unassailable one. All eyes now turn to the Oman Cricket Academy Ground on Tuesday, where the hosts will look to win, and win handsomely, avoiding the ignominy of a 3-0 series clean sweep at home in the process.
