Oman-Scotland clash with Super 12 spot on the line

Sports Thursday 21/October/2021 09:02 AM
By: ICC
Oman-Scotland clash with Super 12 spot on the line
If Oman win, they will likely go straight to the top of the table on current NRR standings

Muscat: History beckons for both Oman and Scotland as a place in Super 12 stage is up for grabs going into the last game of their group.

On the back of two impressive wins, Scotland will lock horns against home side Oman in the last Group B game before the Super 12 stage. Scotland will be aiming to keep their 100 per cent win record intact and subsequently storm into the next stage without the fuss of net run-rates.

Oman began their tournament with an imperious 10-wicket win against Papua New Guinea and showed valiant fight against Bangladesh on Tuesday before falling 26 short of the target. With more than a realistic chance of progressing further in the tournament, expect Oman to give their all.

Having played and trained in Muscat for more than five weeks in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, Scotland will hope to bank on the familiarity of the conditions while Oman will have the backing of home support to rely on in a do-or-die contest.

The Teams

Oman’s batter Aaqib Ilyas hinted at the possibility of a pacer coming into the side and that could see a slot open up for Fayyaz Butt

Possible Oman XI: Zeeshan Maqsood (c), Aqib Ilyas, Jatinder Singh, Khawar Ali, Kashyap Prajapati, Naseem Khushi (wk), Mohammad Nadeem, Ayaan Khan, Fayyaz Butt, Kaleemullah, Bilal Khan

For Scotland, the team is likely to remain the same and they would be hoping there is no change in the results as well.

Possible Scotland playing XI: Kyle Coetzer (c), George Munsey, Matthew Cross, Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Brad Wheal
Key Players

After two quiet games, Callum MacLeod will be itching to get some runs under his name. With the experience of more than 50 T20I, MacLeod's ability to tackle the spinners is well known. The batters around him, like Matthew Cross, Richie Berrington and Chris Greaves, have all got runs in the tournament, helping lift the pressure off senior batter MacLeod. Nevertheless, he'll want to step up in this all-important match.

In the two innings he has batted, Jatinder Singh has look supremely comfortable in the middle, having scored 113 runs already. The opener doesn’t hold back with his shots and Oman will be hoping for him to continue his good run, laying down a platform for the team. He is in line to once again reclaim his lead as the highest run scorer in the tournament after Netherlands’ Max O’dwod went past him on Wednesday.
Expert Dream11 Fantasy tips

Captaincy Pick - Bilal Khan

He has become a wicket-taking machine for Oman in the T20I format. Bilal has bagged five wickets in two matches played in the T20 World Cup. He has also proven to be the most economic bowler for his country, conceding just under five runs an over. His consistency and Oman's reliance on him makes him the top captaincy pick for this match.

Must-have  - Josh Davey

The Scotland pacer is a must-have in this contest against Oman. He has bagged five wickets at an economy rate of 5.6 in the two matches he has played so far at the T20 World Cup. Davey's consistency is highlighted more when we take into account that he has taken 16 wickets in his last 11 T20I innings.

Oman win

If Oman win, they will likely go straight to the top of the table on current NRR standings. However, if Bangladesh win by a big margin earlier in the day, Oman might finish second on the table but would be almost certain to qualify, with their 10-wicket victory against PNG having their NRR in good health.

Scotland win

If Scotland win, they will make it three in a row and the qualification will be a no-brainer then. However, different permutations and combinations open up if Scotland loses as it might find Oman, Bangladesh and Scotland all tied on four points and then the margins of wins and defeats will be the decisive factor as to which team progresses to the next stage.

Use the FTX Bracket Challenge to see what each result means to a team's tournament hopes

What theysaid

Aqib Ilyas, Oman star: "They have some good players on their side who are very aggressive. We have to look for them and we have to minimise our mistakes. If we minimise our mistakes we will win the match.

Shane Burger, Scotland head coach: “We've already created history in this tournament by winning two games. That's more than any Scottish team has done previously. We want to go one step further.”