T20I series to be defining moment for Oman

MUSCAT, Feb 3 - After clinching the World Cricket League (WCL) Division III event in November, Oman have been looking ahead with conviction and the forthcoming quadrangular T20I series will probably be a defining moment as far as Oman cricket is concerned.
Oman’s cricketing aspirations have been on the rise since 2016 when the team made a huge leap by qualifying and participating in the ICC World Twenty20 in India.
The country has been making solid progress since that epoch making event with creditable efforts on the field and off it.
The quadrangular T20I series — from February 13 to 17 — will be the biggest cricket tournament ever that Oman will be hosting featuring Test-playing nation Ireland along with Netherlands and Scotland apart from Oman.
In an exclusive interview with Oman Daily Observer, Oman Cricket’s secretary Madhu Jesrani shared his thoughts about the much-anticipated event.
“We are very excited to organise this tournament in Oman. Whatever we have achieved in the last two-three months since November onwards, this is a big milestone moment for us. And we are ready for this event. The biggest challenge will be to host a Test playing nation like Ireland and with three European countries, it’s a great privilege for us and we are prepared,’’ a beaming Jesrani added.
As far as the plans and preparations go for the tournament from a team point of view, Jesrani said the management will be hiring new support staff.
“We are hiring a bowling coach for WCL and the same physio from South Africa will be joining us. Our main focus is on fitness, the average age of our players is 30. So we have to be careful about fitness. The boys are committed, working hard and spending time in the gym and doing other exercises,’’ he added.
Jesrani also stated that there will be some practice matches for the Oman team before the start of the tournament.
“We will have trial games,’’ he said.

Significant moment

The enormity of the upcoming series is not lost on Jesrani as he recognises the immense importance it carries for Oman’s cricketing future.

“It’s a great opportunity for Omanis. We are going forward as a cricketing nation, we have some programmes for Omanis next month.”

Taking stock of Oman’s performance levels, Jesrani stated Oman are well ahead of the other GCC teams except for one team.

“If you have seen the recent performances of our team, we are far ahead of the other GCC countries except for the UAE. There is a lot of potential in our team and we are very competitive as a side. We will have some new players coming into the team. It will be a good opportunity for them to prove their mettle,’’ the OC secretary revealed.

T20 friendly pitches

As Oman gears up for the Quadrangular T20I series, there will be focus on the pitches prepared considering the fast paced nature of the T20 game.

Jesrani stated the curator will be preparing pitches that will aid high-quality T20 games.

“The curator will prepare T20 friendly pitches. We will see some high-scoring games, we want to see lots of sixes. These are ICC recognised games so people should come out and watch the games. It’s a good opportunity for people to witness and enjoy great cricket,’’ Jesrani said.

What could really be the game changer for the tournament and Oman cricket is the probable live telecast of the event.

“We are negotiating and holding talks with international broadcasters for live telecast of matches. Nothing is clear as of now, but let us see how it goes,’’ he added.

With opposition of the proven quality such as Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland ready to take on Oman, the Oman Cricket secretary sounded a confident note.

“We are confident of playing against these quality teams. We have beaten these teams before, so we are ready for them.

It is a different feeling to play against Ireland after they got the Test status. This kind of exposure will definitely help Oman,’’ he added.

In what is a clear indication of Oman’s growing stature in international cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially invited Oman to participate in a four-team limited overs tournament in the first week of March.

However, Oman have withdrawn their participation and expressed regret to attend the tournament owing to certain reasons.

The tournament was supposed to involve India A and B teams along with South Africa and Oman in Thiruvananthapuram.

Jesrani said the facilities created for the spectators during the WCL Division III tournament will be replicated during the quadrangular series as well.

“We are making the same facilities as we had during WCL Div III. We will have food stalls, free entry. We will be inviting some schools as well,’’ he revealed.