March 29, 2024

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World T20 Qualifiers: Oman, Afghanistan create history, book ticket to India

World T20 Qualifiers: Oman, Afghanistan create history, book ticket to India

By: Tarish Bhatt

Oman, Afghanistan create history, book ticket to India. Image: ICC
Oman, Afghanistan create history, book ticket to India. Image: ICC

The history was created in Dublin, when Oman defeated Namibia in the World T20 Qualifiers to book ticket for the prestigious tournament, while Afghanistan also booked the ticket to India for the tournament slated to take place next year.

It was a moment of joy and pride for the tiny Gulf nation, which made big on the international stage, and more so because unlike other nations it does not have a professional system in place and fielded an amateur team in the tournament.

Oman defeated Namibia, which has played the 50-over World Cup in 2003, in the qualifying match to seal the berth for the World T20. They defeated the African team by five wickets at the Malahide.

Zeeshan Ahmed was the top-scorer for Oman, and finished the game for his side with an unbeaten half-century. Ahmed was supported by Jatinder Singh and Zeeshan Maqsood, as Oman chased the target with six balls to spare in the World T20 Qualifier.

“We are delighted,” Ahmed said “Back in Oman, all the supporters and my family will be so happy that we have qualified. Here, I was just playing my own game, not taking any pressure, so I am happy to have helped the team and the result is there.”

Brief Scores: World T20 Qualifies – Namibia vs Oman

Namibia: 148-9 (20 overs) – Stephen Baard 62, Raymond van Schoor 34; Munis Ansari 3-23, Aamir Kaleem 2-12, Ajay Lalcheta 2-26.

Oman: 150-5 (19 overs) – Zeeshan Ahmed 51 not out, Jatinder Singh 33, Zeeshan Maqsood 28.

Oman won by 5 wickets

Afghanistan qualifies for its fourth consecutive ICC World Twenty20 tournament. Image: ICC
Afghanistan qualifies for its fourth consecutive ICC World Twenty20 tournament. Image: ICC

Meanwhile, Afghanistan registered a comprehensive win over Papua New Guinea in the 3rd game of the World T20 Qualifiers in Dublin. It Pacific Islanders proved no match for more-experienced Afghans and lost the match by six wickets.

Papua New Guinea could only manage to post 127 on the board, courtesy Charles Amini’s gritty knock, but it was never going to be a total to test strong Afghanistan batting line-up as they chased it down with ease, with 10 balls to spare.

“We are very happy. Qualification is very important for us. The team felt no pressure,” Afghanistan captain Asghar said. “The bowling won us the game. They bowled really well. It’s very important for our country that we qualified.”

“We were disappointed by the performance against Hong Kong but now we are delighted,” he added. “We were a little unlucky in the group stage because we had two games rained off but we also didn’t always play to the best of our ability.”

Brief Scores: World T20 Qualifiers – Afghanistan vs Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: 127-6 (20 overs) – Charles Amini 37 not out; Shapoor Zadran 2-9.

Afghanistan 128-4 (18.2 overs) – Nawroz Mangal 65 not out; Norman Vanua 2-19, Charles Amini 2-23)

Afghanistan won by 6 wickets

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