Friday 25 / April / 2025
North Sound, Antigua: The crestfallen demeanour of Oman's players at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Sunday spoke volumes as they suffered a resounding seven-wicket defeat against a formidable Scotland side in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Despite initial promise shown against Namibia and Australia, Oman's performance intheir latest outing fell short, leaving them without a win in the tournament thus far. Oman's skipper, Aqib Ilyas, voiced his anguish over the missed opportunity to capitalise on favourable batting conditions after winning the toss.
"We needed to post around 175 on the board to stay competitive. Unfortunately, we squandered too many deliveries [dot balls], failing to exploit the conditions," lamented Ilyas.
"Besides failing to put up a competitive total, we dropped too many chances. Catches, if you take them, puts pressure on the other team," he remarked, underlining the need for improved fielding.
Highlighting the importance of seizing key moments in the game, Ilyas stressed the need for his team to handle pressure better and to maintain a positive mindset despite the setback.
"We have quality players, but it's about composure under pressure. We must rally together and stay positive," he said during the post-match presentation.
Looking ahead to their final group encounter against reigning champions England on Thursday [June 13], Ilyas remained hopeful of ending the campaign on a high note. "A strong showing against England would be a fitting conclusion. We aim to give it our all," he affirmed.
Needed partnerships, says Oman’s top scorer Athavale
Pratik Athavale, Oman's top scorer in the match with a commendable 54 runs, echoed Ilyas' sentiments regarding the importance of partnerships in their batting effort.
"We fell short in building substantial partnerships, which proved costly," said Athavale in the post-match conference.
Reflecting on the missed opportunities, he added, ";Our bowlers did well, but Scotland's batters dominated. If we had capitalised on the chances that came our way, the outcome might have been different."
Athavale spoke on the significance of the powerplay phase. He said, “After scoring 150, we expected to dismiss two-three Scotland batters in the powerplay. Had we succeeded in that, we had a chance. On this pitch, we needed to score 180. If not, the chance was only if our bowlers could get us early wickets.”
Athavale acknowledged Scots’ strategic use of playing conditions. “Credit to Scotland batters, in particular, Brandon McMullen and George Munsey, they took the game away from us. Scotland batters also made good use of the wind and targeted boundaries where they got assistance from the strong breeze. That was a plus point for them,” he added.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained optimistic about the team’s potential in their final group game against England. “We will go into the match with positive intent. We have not won any game so far. We hope to finish on a high and put in our best performance,” he said.
Scotland skipper: We have got into a good position to qualify
Scotland’s skipper Richie Berrington expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, lauding their disciplined bowling effort and crucial partnerships with the bat. "It was important to come out on top today, and we have got ourselves in a good position to qualify,” said Berrington.
Reflecting on the match, Berrington was happy with a strong start. He said: “It was important to get a good start. That partnership at the top got us in a very strong position. That was really important for us.”
Berrington highlighted the role of their spinners in containing Oman batters. “Thespinners did a great job in the middle overs. It was more about hitting the right lengths,” he said, underlining the effectiveness of their bowling tactics.
Looking ahead to their upcoming fixture against Australia, Berrington exuded confidence in his team’s abilities. “We are in a strong position, but we want to enjoy this moment. We have another big game coming up [vs Australia] on Sunday,” he said, signalling their focus on maintaining momentum in the tournament.
Brandon McMullen, awarded the player of the match for his unbeaten 61, credited his team’s strategy of utilising the playing conditions to their advantage.
“It was quite a short boundary with the breeze, we discussed it as a group as a key element, using the breeze to our advantage and it paid off,” said McMullen, highlighting the team’s tactical awareness.
McMullen shed light on their shift in focus towards improving their net run rate. “Our main priority was to win the game, but at the drinks break, we decided to have a go at the net run rate,” he said.
Expressing confidence ahead of their next challenge against Australia, McMullen said that it was important to maintain composure and give their best effort. “We need to stay level-headed and give our best,” he signed off.
With England set to play two more matches before Scotland’s crucial encounter with Australia, the stage is set for an exciting conclusion to Group B action in the T20 World
Cup.
