Friday 20 / September / 2024
Muscat: Oman cricket team will start as favourites when the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cricket League Division 5 competition gets underway in Jersey on Saturday.
According to news posted on the official website of the ICC, the Omani squad are given top seeding in the tournament and 'will enter the competition as the favourites following an impressive debut at the recent ICC World Twenty20 in India'.
In the preliminary round of the ICC World T20 played in the northern Indian hill station of Dharamsala, Oman defeated Ireland in a thrilling match to make the cricketing world sit up and take notice.
The Sultanate squad, who are coached by Sri Lankan great Duleep Mendis, have retained 12 players from the World T20 championship.
The ICC, meanwhile, announced the six squads and match officials for the ICC World Cricket League Division 5.
Apart from the home side, Guernsey, Nigeria, Oman, Tanzania and Vanuatu will take part in the weeklong tournament during which 18 matches will be played, with the finalists earning promotion to Division 4 to be staged later in the year.
Jersey is the defending champion of the tournament, after it beat Malaysia by 71 runs in 2014. However, Jersey and Oman, after finishing in the bottom two of the ICC World Cricket League Division 4, were relegated to Division 5.
The ICC World Cricket League offers teams a chance to get promoted right up to Division 2, which is the final stage in the pathway to qualification for the ICC Intercontinental Cup, ICC’s four-day first-class competition for Associate and Affiliate members, as well as the 50-over ICC World Cricket League Championship.
The winner of the ICC Intercontinental Cup will play the 10th-ranked Test nation in the four-Test ICC Test Challenge in 2018. If the Intercontinental Cup winner clinches the ICC Test Challenge, then it will become the 11th Test nation until 2022.
Similarly, the top sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship, along with the bottom four sides on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings as on September 30, 2017, will qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 with the top two sides progressing to the event proper in 2019.
Participating squads
Oman: Ajay Lalcheta (captain), Aamir Kaleem, Bilal Khan, Jatinder Singh, Khawar Ali, Mehran Khan, Munis Ansari, Noorul Riaz, Rajesh Ranpura, Sufyan Mahmood, Swapnil Khadye, Vaibhav Wategaonkar, Zeeshan Maqsood and Zeeshan Siddiqui.
Guernsey: James Nussbaumer (captain), Joshua Butler, Max Ellis, Lee Ferbrache, David Hooper, Andrew Hutchinson, Thomas Kimber, Thomas Kirk, Jason Martin, Oliver Newey, Oliver Nightingale, Luke Nussbaumer, GH Smit and Matthew Stokes.
Jersey: Peter Gough (captain) Corey Bisson, Corniles Bodenstein, Jake Dunford, Luke Gallichan, William Harris, Anthony Hawkins-Kay, Jonty Jenner, Ben Kynman, Robert McBey, Rhys Palmer, Charles Perchard, Benjamin Stevens and Nathaniel Watkins.
Nigeria: Adekunle Adegbola (captain), Abiodun Abioye, Salako Abdulazeez, Sesan Adedeji, Chima Akachukwu, Joshua Ayannaike, Oladije Bejide, Opke Issac, Emmanuel Okwudili, Ademola Onikoyi, Chimezie Onwuzulike, Segun Olayinka, Oluseye Olympio and Leke Oyede.
Tanzania: Hamisi Abdallah (captain), Athumani Cassim, Arun Dagar, Shaheed Dhanani, Arshaan Jasani, Ashish Kamania, Kishen Kamania, Nasibu Kelvin, Riziki Kiseto, Ally Mpeka, Kassimu Nassoro, Abhik Patwa, Khalil Rehmatulla and Jitin Singh.
Vanuatu: Andrew Mansale (captain), Callum Blake, Jelany Chilia, Jonathan Dunn, Wolford Kalworai, Patrick Matautaava, Christion Mete, Nalin Nipiko, Simpson Obed, Joshua Rasu, Apolinaire Stephen, Ronald Tari, Clement Tommy and Jamal Vira.
Fixtures
May 21: Jersey vs Oman (Grainville); Tanzania vs Nigeria (Farmers Field); Guernsey vs Vanuatu (FB Fields).
May 22: Jersey vs Vanuatu (Grainville); Guernsey vs Tanzania (Farmers Field); Nigeria vs Oman (FB Fields).
May 24: Nigeria vs Guernsey (Grainville); Vanuatu vs Oman (Farmers Field); Jersey vs Tanzania (FB Fields).
May 25: Oman vs Tanzania (Grainville); Jersey vs Guernsey (Farmers Field); Nigeria vs Vanuatu (FB Fields).
May 27: Vanuatu vs Tanzania (Grainville); Jersey vs Nigeria (Farmers Field); Oman vs Guernsey (FB Fields).
May 28: Final (Grainville); 3 vs 4 playoff (Farmers Field); 5 vs 6 play-off (FB Fields).
