On June 6, the cricket world was treated to two thrilling matches. In the second match, Australia faced Oman in an exciting contest. Despite showcasing their skills, Oman fell short, losing by 39 runs. This defeat marked Oman’s second consecutive loss in the tournament. Captain Aqib Ilyas addressed the setback, acknowledging the team’s efforts but emphasizing the need for improvement.
Oman’s Second Heartbreaking Defeat:
In the 10th match of the ongoing T20 World Cup, Australia and Oman met at the Kensington Oval Barbados. The match turned out to be a thriller. While batting first, the Aussie squad showcased their brilliance. Oman bowlers tried to make an impact but failed to dominate the yellow brigade. Bilal Khan got the first wicket as he dismissed Travis Head. After that, Mehran Khan got two consecutive wickets while dismissing skipper Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell.
Chasing the target of 165 runs, Oman had a shaky start. Wickets are getting down fast. Standing on that point, Aqib Ilyas scored 18 runs in 18 balls. Zeeshan Maqsood and Khalid Kali lost their wickets early. Ayaan Khan played a knock of 36 runs in 30 balls. Mehran Khan scored 27 runs in 16 balls. Those efforts were not enough and they faced a defeat of 39 runs.
Aqib Ilyas’s Words:
After facing consecutive defeats, Oman skipper Aqib Ilyas opened up. After the match, he said, “We tried to defend a low target in the first game played a Super Over after a long time and today played a team like Australia. On turning tracks our bowlers can do well. Credit to our bowlers.”
While focusing on the catch miss, he said, “ One catch (off Stoinis) we messed up and you saw that over being taken for many runs and Stoinis. Media doesn’t show the positive things that we saw (smiles, when asked about his comment on Australia in the pre-match PC). They are top players and we respect them. Our bowlers did well. We had a grip on the game till the 14th over. Unfortunately. I wanted to take a catch. One of our ex captains Zeeshan dropped a catch and it was highlighted a lot for one year.”
Later he added, “I wanted to take a catch (off Maxwell) like that against Australia. We messed up our plans. He was hitting straight down the ground easily. We then decided to change the plan and make him hit to the longer side boundary. We have to work on our batting. We have done in the past. If we can bat well in the powerplay it will be important for us and as a batter I have to do well there. Hopefully, we will turn up better next time.”
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