Namibia beat Oman in ICC WCL Division Two final

Sports Saturday 27/April/2019 20:17 PM
By: Times News Service
Namibia beat Oman in ICC WCL Division Two final

MUSCAT: Jan Frylinck ran through Oman with a five-wicket haul, powering hosts Namibia to title triumph in the final of the ICC WCL Division Two with a 145-run victory in Windhoek on Saturday.
Oman, which dominated the tournament with four successive wins, paid for two forgettable outings, first against PNG on Thursday and then to Namibia in Saturday’s final, and had to settle for the runner-up spot. The Sultanate’s Red Brigade still had plenty to smile about, having won the coveted ODI status from
ICC for the next two and a half years. “We cannot express how proud we are of our boys for what they have achieved in the last four years. Their performances and their achievements have made Oman stand out among the top 20 ODI countries in the world today,” said Pankaj Khimji after the final.
“Our team fully deserves the ODI status it has won here in Namibia. They are international stars and the boys completely deserve it,” he added.
As a mark of recognition for exhibiting excellence for much of the tournament, Kanak Khimji, Chairman of Oman Cricket, presented the new numbered caps to all the fourteen players after the final.
Oman, Namibia, USA and PNG will now join UAE, Scotland and Nepal in the new ICC Cricket World Cup League Two and play as many as 36 ODIs over a period of 30 months.
Oman coach Duleep Mendis had said before leaving for Namibia that qualifying for the ODI status would be among their foremost goals in Namibia and he was delighted to have achieved that goal.
Earlier in the day, Namibia took a slow-and-steady route to building a fighting total, settling for 226 for 7 in 50 overs thanks to major contributions from Karl Birkenstock (61), Zane Green (38) and JJ Smith (29). Fayyaz Butt and AqibIlyas took two wickets each.
Oman got off to a disastrous start, losing its top six for only 45 runs before being dismissed for a paltry 81 in 29 overs.
Apart from Frylinck’s deadly spell, JJ Smit and Christie Viljoen bowled well too, claiming three and two wickets respectively.
Brief scores (ICC WCL Division Two final): Namibia 226 for 7 in 50 overs (Karl Birkenstock 61 – 5x4, Zane Green 38 – 2x4, 1x6, JJ Smit 29 – 2x4, 1x6. Fayyaz Butt 2-28, AqibIlyas 2-32) trounced Oman 81 all out in 29 overs (Suraj Kumar 27 – 2x4, Khurram Nawaz 17 not out – 1x4. Jan Frylinck 5-13, JJ Smit 3-21, Christie Viljoen 2-06) by 145 runs.