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World T20 2021 | Jatinder-Maqsood lead Oman to thumping 10-wicket win in tournament opener against PNG

It was a historic game for both Oman and Papua New Guinea as they opened up the extravaganza called T20 World Cup 2021. Oman’s Jatinder Singh, Aqib Ilyas and Zeeshan Maqsood made sure that it remained one for them as they thrashed the pacific nation by 10 wickets with  38 balls to spare. This huge victory will not only boost their confidence but also come in handy if it comes down to net run rate later in the tournament. 

The target of 130 set up by PNG never seemed to be a problem for the Omani opening pair of Singh and Ilyas, who were batting together for the very first time as openers. The fact that there were three dropped catches, one catch falling short of the wicketkeeper, one caught off the no-ball and some very average fielding by the PNG team, but that does not take away the fact that Singh and Ilyas batted brilliantly. 

The 131 runs unbeaten stand between the two openers is also the second-highest partnership for any wicket for Oman, missing the highest score by just one run. While Jatinder made an unbeaten 73 off 42 balls, even as he started slowly in the powerplay, Ilyas on the other end was unbeaten on 50 off 43. The fifties by both these batters were the first and second respectively by any Omani batter in a T20 World Cup. 

Earlier in the day, after winning the toss, Oman invited PNG to bat first and used the opportunity to pick two quick wickets courtesy of Bilal Khan and Kaleemullah. However, instead of falling, the Barramundis skipper Assad Vala and all-rounder Charles Amini picked up the fight and had a great 81 run stand for the third wicket. 

But as soon as Amini was run out and Vala perished after completing his fifty, the first for a PNG batter in a World Cup, the team fell like a pack of cards. Zeeshan Maqsood, the Omani skipper was the wrecker in chief, picking three wickets in one over to destroy the lower order of the island nation’s batting lineup. 

Although PNG did not get bowled out and finished 129-9, Maqsood finished with figures of 4-20 in his four overs, the best ever for an Oman bowler in T20 World Cup. 

After this win, Oman would now face Bangladesh, who would be playing their first-ever game in the T20 World Cup 2021 later tonight. PNG, who have been thrashed in their debut World Cup game will face Scotland. Both the games will take place on October 19 at the same venue- Al Amerat at Muscat. 

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World T20 2021: Jatinder Singh becomes first Oman batsman to score WC fifty

Oman couldn’t have asked for a better start to the World T20 campaign after they thumped PNG by 10 wickets in the opening match in Al Amerat. Both the Oman openers, Jatinder Singh and Aquib Ilyas thoroughly dominated the PNG bowling unit with the bat and notched up individual half-centuries for the side. Jatinder though became the first Oman batter to score a fifty in the World Cup. Chasing a target of 130 runs in 20 overs, the batsmen were off to a cautious start and then began to accelerate as soon as they got into the groove to eventually wrap up the match with a maximum that came off Jatinder’s bat in the 14th over. While Singh remained unbeaten at 73, Ilyas scored 50* off 43 balls. Earlier, in the day, the hosts had a brilliant start with the ball after reducing PNG for 0/2 before Charles Amini and captain Assad Vala joined hands and steadied the ship for the side with an 81-run stand for the third wicket. Amini eventually departed for 37 off 26, courtesy a runout while Vala went on to score a half-century. But the skipper’s dismissal for 56 was followed by a middle-order collapse in the 16th over. Oman captain Zeeshan Maqsood scalped three wickets in this over and eventually returned with a four-fer. PNG were soon left tottering at 118/9 before getting restricted to 129/9 in allotted 20 overs. Maqsood later talked about how important it was to pull things back from a critical situation. “I am very happy, it was a crucial time for us, they were batting very well. We got crucial wickets and didn't allow them to put up a big total. I just try and keep it tight, don't bowl loose ones and bowl according to the field,” he said in the post-match presentation. Oman will next play Bangladesh while PNG will be up against Scotland on Tuesday at the same venue.

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World T20 2021 | Ireland vs Netherlands: With in-form bowling units, old rivals begin campaign

Ireland will be up against Netherlands in the World T20 2021 Qualifiers on Monday (October 18, 2021) in Abu Dhabi. Ireland will be coming into this game on the back of a couple of wins in the warm-up matches against PNG and Bangladesh respectively. Netherlands on the other hand suffered a defeat against Scotland but etched a win against Oman in the warm-up fixtures. One common factor that the two sides would be confident about is their bowling. While Netherland's bowling unit kept cool under pressure and helped the side win against Oman, they successfully restricted Scotland for a lesser total of 122/6 in 20 overs. But it was the batting line up that failed to fire and the team was bundled out for 91. The Ireland bowlers restricted PNG for 96/8 in 20 overs while comprehensively defended a target of 178 against Bangladesh by 33 runs. The Bangla tigers were bowled out for 144. The bowlers might have made the headlines in the warm-up matches but both the teams and especially Ireland comprise of some of the finest batters too as far as the white-ball cricket is concerned. Match Details Match – Ireland vs Netherlands – Match 3 Venue – Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi Time – 03:30 PM IST, 10:00 AM GMT Where to watch live – Star Sports Network Pitch Report The track in Abu Dhabi might have something on offer for the bowlers and with the kind of form that the two bowling units possess at the moment, it’s going to be a tough task for the batters. So, if you win the toss, bowl first. Probable XI Ireland: Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Balbirnie (C), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Andrew McBrine Netherlands: Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Pieter Seelaar (C), Ben Cooper, Ryan ten Doeschate, Roel of van der Merwe, Fred Klaassen, Scott Edwards, Tim van der Gugten, Paul van Meekeren, Phillippe Boissevain CE Fantasy XI

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World T20 2021 | OMA vs PNG: Oman captain Maqsood bamboozles Barramundis with a three-wicket over

When Papua New Guinea skipper Assad Vala hit fifty and became the first-ever PNG player to hit a fifty in a World Cup, he wouldn’t have thought in just a span of 10 balls and 11 runs, his team would be on the receiving end of damages as they lost four wickets, with three of them coming one over, bowled by his Omani counterpart Zeeshan Maqsood. Maqsood came on to bowl in the 16th over with PNG on 112-4 and looking to up the ante in an over by a spinner. However, he had some other ideas as he removed batter Sese Bau, all-rounder Norman Vanua and Kiplin Doriga to break the back of the Barramundis batting order. When Vala was dismissed at the team score of 102, he would have not thought that his team would be getting undone in a couple of overs after that. But there was more to follow after the Maqsood over as Bilal Khan removed Simon Attai on the last ball of the 17th over to give PNG its eighth dismissal. Zeeshan came back in the 18th over and removed Damien Ravu to get the team in black and yellow nine down for 118. It was a great collapse as the team from the pacific went from 102-3 to 118-9. Maqsood came to bowl the 20th over, looking for a five-wicket haul which would have been the first five-wicket haul for an Oman bowler in T20 World Cup. But it wasn't to be as PNG maned to get to 129-9 in their 20 overs. Nonetheless, with his figures of 4-20, Maqsood finished with the best figures for an Omani bowler in World Cup and T20 cricket.