MUSCAT: Oman’s vice-captain received a motivating call from his father on Sunday and slammed 109 not out against Nepal on Sunday, ‘his best knock for the country so far’.
Talking over the phone from Kirtipur, Nepal, Aqib said he felt highly motivated after his father and brother Adnan Ilyas spoke to him the day before Sunday’s game.
“My father advised me to concentrate harder to be able to play long innings for my team. Thankfully, it happened the next day as I was able to score a century and contribute to my team’s victory,” said the top order batsman who also captured four wickets bowling off-spin yesterday.
Aqib said he was always inspired by his brother’s style of batting who was known for his aggressive game.
When asked how he rated his knock on Monday, he said, “This is perhaps my best innings for Oman solely because of the quality of bowling attack we faced on a turning track. I believe this was particularly a highly mature knock as I wanted to stay till the end. Nepal is such a good side in home conditions with brilliant bowlers like Sandeep Lamichhane who has played white ball cricket all over the world. I knew one lapse in concentration and Nepal would be back in the game. Thankfully, (captain) Zeeshan batted so well at the other end and we were able to win again.”
Aqib was adjudged player of the match for his brilliant bowling and batting on Sunday.
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