Under new captain Aqib Ilyas, Oman take on Namibia in a battle of equals
Written by I Dig Sports
Match details
Namibia vs Oman
Bridgetown, 8.30pm local
Big picture
They made it to T20 World Cup 2024 by dominating the Africa qualifier, winning all six of their games. With England and Australia also in their group, they will know that their best shot at the Super 8s involves beating Oman and Scotland and then pulling off an upset.
Oman, also making their third T20 World Cup appearance, come into the tournament with momentum on their side. They reached the ACC Premier Cup final, winning five games on the trot, although they lost to UAE in the final. They have a new captain for this World Cup, with Aqib Ilyas replacing the experienced Zeeshan Maqsood in the role.
Form guide
Namibia WWLLW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
Oman LWWWW
In the spotlight - David Wiese and Aqib Ilyas
Team news
Namibia could field an XI with as many as seven bowling options, while their potential No. 9 Ruben Trumpelmann is no mug with the bat.
Namibia (probable XI): 1 Nikolas Davin, 2 Jean-Pierre Kotze, 3 Michael van Lingen, 4 Gerhard Erasmus (capt), 5 JJ Smit, 6 David Wiese, 7 Jan Frylinck, 8 Zane Green (wk), 9 Ruben Trumpelmann, 10 Bernard Scholtz, 11 Ben Shikongo
Oman also have plenty of bowling options among their top- and middle-order batters. They could put out the same line-up that played in the final of the Premier Cup.
Oman (probable XI): 1 Kashyap Prajapati, 2 Naseem Khushi (wk), 3 Aqib Ilyas (capt), 4 Zeeshan Maqsood, 5 Pratik Athavale (wk), 6 Ayaan Khan, 7 Khalid Kail, 8 Shakeel Ahmad, 9 Rafiullah, 10 Fayyaz Butt, 11 Bilal Khan
Pitch and conditions
In the past, batters have found it difficult to score off spinners in Bridgetown. It's not a particularly high-scoring ground, and in 12 games at the venue since the start of 2022, the average first-innings score has been 178. Teams batting first have won eight of those 12 matches.
There is a 40% chance of rain, but it's not expected to last more than half an hour even if it does pour.
Stats that matter
- One of Namibia's many allrounders, their captain Gerhard Erasmus, has been in excellent bowling form. He has taken a wicket in eight of his last ten matches, and has not conceded more than run a ball in any of those games.
- Bilal Khan, Oman's 37-year-old fast bowler, had an economy rate of 4.45 from three matches in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
- Maqsood, Mehran Khan and Bilal are the only three players from Oman's squad in their first T20 World Cup campaign in 2016 to be part of this year's squad.
Quotes
"Now that I am leading the side, I have more responsibilities. I have to be more smart and give my 100%. We have worked really hard in the past, in the camp and everything. Now when we step onto the field, it's just the mind game, presence and game awareness. I am looking for some big performances, to get at least two Man of the Matches in the first round."
Oman captain Aqib Ilyas
Abhimanyu Bose is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
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