Oman Cricket marks 40 years in style

MUSCAT, Sept 24 - In a memorable ceremony, Oman Cricket celebrated its 40th year in grand style at the floodlit Amerat Grounds late on Monday. HH Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said, Patron-in-Chief of Oman Cricket (OC), presided over the event in presence of cricket superstars Anil Kumble and Mahela Jayawardene and Shaikh Saad bin Mohammed al Saadi, Minister of Sports Affairs, and other dignitaries. The highlight of the annual awards night was the presence of former ace Indian spinner Kumble, who has taken more than 1,000 wickets in international matches, and prolific Sri Lankan batsman Mahela, fourth highest run-scorer in international cricket. Welcoming the guests, Pankaj Khimji, OC board member, thanked all behind Oman’s new achievement of One-Day International (ODI) status. Oman are ranked 15th in international cricket among 104 cricket-playing nations across the globe. “This is the highest ranking Oman has achieved in any team sport at global scale. We dedicate this recognition to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos as we approach the 50 golden years of His Majesty’s reign and Oman’s Renaissance,” Pankaj said. Kumble said he was honoured to be part of Oman Cricket’s 40th year celebration. “Congratulations to all those who are involved in making this happen, the 40 glorious years,” he said. The star leg-spinner, who became only the second ever to take 10 wickets in a match, appreciated the Oman team winning the ODI status. Answering a query from Paul Sheriden, Adviser to OC, Kumble said his most cherishable moments in cricket career was making the Test and ODI debuts for India. KUMBLE, JAYAWARDENE CONGRATULATE OMAN Kumble said he was happy to take all those wickets. “I am glad that it took so long for the batsmen to read my deliveries,” the Indian great, who retired with 619 Test wickets. Jayawardene, who is the fourth highest run-scorer, said it was a great feeling to be part of the event. “Congratulations to Oman for getting the ODI status. It’s wonderful country. The warmth and reception here was really special,” the former Sri Lankan captain said. The swash-buckling batsman picked Pakistan legend Wasim Akram as the special bowler in a reply to a query from anchor Sheriden. Mahela, the highest right-handed run-scorer in a match (374) wished Oman cricket success in their journey ahead. WORLD T20 QUALIFIERS Oman will gear up for World Twenty20 Qualifiers in the UAE during October end with a four-nation tournament in Oman. William Glenwright, Head of Global Development at ICC, heaped praises on the Sultanate for its rapid strides in global cricket. “Oman has done tremendously well to have achieved ODI status in a sport that is played in 104 countries by over 460 million people around the world. That must be a source of great pride for the people of Oman. It is heartening to note that Oman’s women’s team is on the cusp of participating in an ICC event. Since developing women’s cricket is a priority for ICC we hope to see Oman in the forefront of that ship in the coming years,” he said. The Australian also appreciated Oman Cricket and the Government of Oman for setting up the world class facility at the Oman Cricket Academy in Amerat. Shaikh Saad al Saadi later gave away the awards for the winners and runners-up of Oman Cricket 2018-19 season. Sayyid Haitham presented Kanak Khimji, who is leading the Oman Cricket for the past four decades, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership amidst applause and standing ovation from the dignitaries, ICC officials, players and the cricketing fraternity. Oman Daily Observer was also honoured for its support and coverage to the Oman Cricket’s achievements and events. LIST OF AWARD WINNERS FOR 2018-19 SEASON I division Runners-up: Aflag Group Winners: Sas Cricworld H division Runners-up: Kone Winners: Vanderlande G division Runners-up: Wasco-orange Winners: TR Engineering F division Runners-up: Maxitech Intl Winners: Sas Cricworld E division Runners-up: Oasis Water Winners: Ideal International D division (sponsored by Enhance) Runners-up: Zubair Winners: Orient Travels/GBL C division (sponsored by Raha Polyproducts) Runners-up: Attic Outdoors Winners: PDO RC B division (sponsored by Al Ansari Group of Companies) Runners-up: Ernst & Young Winners: Sarco A division (sponsored by Khimji Ramdas LLC) Runners-up: Renaissance Winners: MDC Enhance Eagles Premier division (sponsored by Muscat Pharmacy & Stores) Runners-up: Assarain Winners: Passage to India Individual awards Omani players (playing for 1 team) Best batsman: Asif Abdul al Balushi (OCT Mabelah) Consolation batsman: Shabeeb al Balushi (OCT Mabelah) Best bowler: Zubair Akbar al Balushi (OCT Muscat) Consolation bowling: Nadil al Balushi (OCT Al Nahda) Best all-rounder: Nadil al Balushi (OCT Al Nahda) Omani players (playing for 2 teams) Best batsman: Ismail Ghulam al Balushi (OCT Al Hail A/ NBO Muzn) Consolation batsman: Shoib Ismail (OCT Muscat/Al Mardhuf) Best bowler: Yusuf al Balushi (OCT Seeb/Bank Muscat) Consolation-bowling: Suhaib Ismail al Balushi (OCT Muscat/Al Mardhuf) Best all rounder: Yusuf al Balushi (OCT Seeb/Bank Muscat) I division Best batsman: Arif Hussain (Gitac) Best bowler: Jebin James (SAS Cric World) Consolation bowling: Nahas Haneefa (OUA Travels) H division Best batsman: Suhail Khot (Nurson XI) Consolation batsman: Mateen Niyaz Ulde (Nurson XI) Best bowler: Mithun Kumar (Kone) G division Best batsman: Doresh Devender (Danmark) Best bowler: Deepesh Unnikoru (Wasco Orange) Best all-rounder: Junaid Yousuf (Danmark) F division Best batsman: Rahul Rajeev (Maxitech Intl) Consolation batsman: Rana Shahid Ullah (Majees) Best bowler: Danish Mohammad (Muscat Masters) Best all-rounder: Danish Mohammad (Muscat Masters) E division Best batsman: Akbar Shaikh (Ideal Intl) Consolation batsman: Ismail Ghulam Balushi (NBO Muzn) Best bowler: Kanwaljot Singh (Unique Elegant) Best all-rounder: Shareef al Balushi (OCT Mabelah) D division Best batsman: Vikas Bhadoria (STS) Consolation batsman: Ifthkar Ahmed (Khalsa United) Best bowler: Iqbal Mudassar (Zubair) C division Best batsman: Hafiz Irfan (Attic Outdoors) Consolation batsman: Qasim al Ahmed (Attic Outdoors) Best bowler: Sajid Ali (PDO RC) Best all-rounder: Abdul Naved (PDO RC) B division Best batsman: Muhammad Nadeem Ashaq (Al Mardhuf) Consolation batsman: Shuhaib Ismail Mohammad (Al Mardhuf) Best bowler: Zahid Hafiz (Sarco) Consolation bowling: Shameer Kariadan (Al Mada Engg) Consolation-bowling: Rakesh Patel (Sarco) A division Best batsman: Siddiq Afsar Mohammed (Renaissance) Consolation batsman: Rishab Verma (Renaissance) Best bowler: Parameswaran Shankar (MDC Enhance Eagles) Consolation-bowling: Khalid Rasheed (IT Works) Premier division Best batsman: Ayaan Mohd Khan (Muscat CT) Best bowler: Kaleemullah (Assarain) Consolation-bowling: Ahmad Fayyaz Butt (Passage to India) Best all-rounder: Sandeep Goud (Muscat CT) Player of the year (sponsored by assarain) Ayaan Khan (Muscat CT) Sponsors Oman National Team: Samsonite Junior U-16 Boys & U-19 Women’s Tournament: Al Turki Enterprises Junior U-19 Boys ‘A’ Div League & Knock -Out Tournament: Khimji Ramdas LLC Premier Division: Muscat Pharmacy & stores ‘B’ Division League: Al Ansari Group of Companies ‘C’ Division League: Raha Polyproducts ‘D’ Division League: Enhance Auditors: Maganlal Thakkar