Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Ayaan, Bilal shine in Oman’s big victory over Qatar

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MUSCAT: Ayaan Khan’s unbeaten half-century and Bilal Khan’s four-for powered Oman to a huge 40-run victory over Qatar to launch their campaign in style in a Group A match of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup at the Mulpani Cricket Ground in Kathmandu on Wednesday.


Chasing a challenging target of 250 to win in 50 overs, Qatar were in deep trouble losing two wickets for 21. Imal Liyanage (27) and Muhammad Tanveer (19) then put together a 40-run stand before Jay Odedra got the crucial breakthrough.


Skipper Mohammed Rizlan (43) then teamed up with Liyanage before Odedra castled the latter to leave Qatar at 90/4 in 19th over.


Rizlan and Ikramullah (26) then put up a fightback sharing a 59-run fifth wicket partnership before Bilal struck in the 35th over, dismissing Ikramullah (26).


Oman captain Zeeshan Maqsood then bagged his counterpart’s wicket without any addition to Qatar’s score of 149 as they slid from 149/4 to 149/6 in a span of three deliveries.


Khurram Shahzad’s 33-ball 30 was a little too late as Bilal’s pace was too hot to handle for the tail-enders and Qatar were bowled out for 209 in 47.2 overs.


Bilal finished with figure of 4/42 while spinners Odedra and Ilyas claimed two wickets each.


Put to bat first, Oman put up a challenging score of 249/8.


Ayaan’s 59-ball 64 was the bedrock of the team’s total after the other batters gave the start but failed to stay for long.


The opening pair of Kashyap Prajapati (18) and Jatinder Singh (16) gave Oman a sedate beginning as they shared a 39-run stand in eight overs. Qatar’s Amir Farooq stuck a double blow sending back the openers depart in a span of five balls in his ninth over.


Adib Ilyas, who made a return to the national squad, after recovering from injury that kept him out for more than a year, displayed good knick during his 22-ball stay for 17.


Maqsood (41) dug in after Aqib’s exit with the team score at 67/3 in the 16th over. The captain along with Mohammad Nadeem (18) were involved in a 51-run fourth wicket stand before Nadeem became the first of the two victims of Ikramullah Khan.


Maqsood left after a 71-ball stay, with the team sliding from a strong position of 117/3 to 120/5.


AYAAN LEADS RECOVERY


Debutant Adeel Shafique and Ayaan then led the recovery with a 36-run stand before Shafique fell to Ikramullah for a 20-ball 16 that included three hits to the ropes. Oman were 156/6 at the stage and they needed a partnership.


Ayaan continued to strike ball around the park and found an able ally in Sandeep Goud (34) to guide Oman past 200-mark with a 75-run crucial partnership in 12 overs. Goud departed in the penultimate over, but Ayaan stayed unbeaten on 64 and hit five fours and one six to help Oman reach 249. Muhammad Murad and Farooq claimed three wickets each.


Oman now play hosts Nepal on April 21 before playing against Malaysia on April 23. They conclude their group engagement with a match against Saudi Arabia on April 26.


Nepal are currently leading the table on better net run-rate after defeating Malaysia. Nepal and Oman have two points each. The hosts have +1.823 NRR as compared to Oman’s +0.800.


In Group B, UAE and Hong Kong have won their opening matches against Kuwait and Singapore respectively.


Brief scores: Oman 249/8 (Ayaan Khan 64, Zeeshan Maqsood 41, Sandeep Goud 34; Muhammad Murad 3/47, Amir Farooq 3/52) beat Qatar 209 in 47.2 overs (Mohammed Rizlan 43, Khurram Shahzad 30, Imal Liyanage 27; Bilal Khan 4/42, Jay Odedra 2/25, Aqib Ilyas 2/25).


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