Oman women cricketers gain valuable experience in China T20I event

MUSCAT: Oman women’s national cricket team concluded its campaign at the Belt and Road Women’s T20I tournament in Hangzhou, China, with valuable experience gained from four matches against China and Indonesia.
The tournament was held from August 20 to 24 at the Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field, with Oman competing against hosts China and Indonesia in a double round-robin format.
Oman began their campaign against China on August 20 in a rain-affected match reduced to 13 overs. China scored 99/1, while Oman reached 34/4 in seven overs. China won the match by 18 runs through the DLS method.
In their second match on August 21, Oman faced Indonesia, who posted 136/3 in 20 overs. Oman finished on 77/7, giving Indonesia a 59-run victory.
Oman met China again on August 22. Oman were bowled out for 45 in 17.3 overs, before China reached 47/2 in 9.2 overs to seal an eight-wicket win.
The national team wrapped up its campaign against Indonesia on August 23. Indonesia scored 129/6 in 20 overs and then restricted Oman to 63/7, securing a 66-run victory.
Fiza Javed, captain of Oman women’s national cricket team, said the tournament was an important and new experience for the squad, especially as it was the first time the team had been invited by an Asian country to take part in such an event.
She said the participation allowed the players to gain experience, adapt to different playing conditions and compete against teams with strong Asian cricket backgrounds.
“We aimed to gain more exposure, especially for the young players, and to understand different conditions, pitches and weather,” Fiza said. “The heat, humidity and rain were among the main challenges, particularly on turf wickets.”
Although Oman did not register a win, Fiza said the team returned with many positives. She noted that Indonesia are ranked higher internationally, while Oman still produced competitive spells against both Indonesia and China.
“Our defensive performance was encouraging, and several players showed good potential. However, batting remains an area where we need to work harder and improve,” she added.
Fiza said the coming period would see greater focus on training and individual skill development. “We have talent and potential in this team. What we need now is to sharpen our skills and prepare better for upcoming tournaments.”
Oman’s participation comes as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the women’s national cricket team’s international experience, improve player readiness and provide young players with competitive exposure at the Asian level.