Sunday 22 / December / 2024
MUSCAT: Defending champions Oman exited the T20 Gulf Cup Cricket Championship after a three-wicket loss to Kuwait in the final league match at the ICC Academy in Dubai, UAE, on Friday.
The victory propelled Kuwait into Saturday’s final against hosts UAE, who topped the league standings with four wins and eight points. Kuwait’s progression to the final was sealed by a superior Net Run Rate (NRR) over Saudi Arabia after both teams finished the league stage with six points from three wins. Kuwait’s NRR of +0.525 was significantly better than Saudi Arabia’s -0.166, confirming their spot in the title decider.
Oman, led by coach Duleep Mendis, entered the tournament with a revamped squad. Despite flashes of brilliance, they struggled to find consistency, suffering close defeats to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait, which ended their title defence.
In their final game on Friday , Oman batted first and posted a competitive total of 143/8 in 20 overs. Wicketkeeper-batter Vinayak Shukla stood out with a commanding unbeaten 52 off 29 balls, hitting three boundaries and as many sixes to provide a late surge. Skipper Jatinder Singh contributed a steady 27 off 25 balls at the top, while opener Karan Sonavale added 20 off 26 deliveries.
However, a mid-innings collapse, triggered by disciplined bowling, restricted Oman from reaching a more imposing total. From 50/1 in ninth over, Oman slipped to 88/6 in 15 overs. But Shukla stayed unbeaten to help Oman reach a challenging total.
Kuwait’s bowlers delivered a well-rounded performance, as Meet Bhavsar picked 2 wickets for 22 runs and Adnan Idrees claimed 2 for 13 in his two overs. Mohammed Aslam and Yasin Patel kept things tight, ensuring Oman’s batters struggled to find rhythm.
Chasing 144, Kuwait relied on a match-winning innings from Meet Bhavsar, who showcased his class with a fluent 63 off 46 balls, studded with eight fours and a six. Kuwait’s chase got off to disappointing start as they were reduced to 11/2 in two overs.
However, Bhavsar shared a 47-run third wicket stand with Adnan Idrees (17) and then stitched a strong 74-run fourth-wicket partnership with Muhammad Umar, who added a vital 36 off 30 balls with three towering sixes, to steer Kuwait towards the target as they reached 137/4 in 18 overs.
Couple of runouts in the death overs did cause a concern but Kuwait skipper Mohammed Aslam slammed a boundary to lead his team to win with three balls to spare
Oman’s bowlers Jay Odedra and Shakeel Ahmed, claimed two wickets each while conceding just 15 and 28 runs respectively. However, the target proved achievable as Kuwait sealed the game with three balls to spare, finishing at 144/7.
Brief scores: Oman 143/8 in 20 overs (Vinayak Shukla 52*, Jatinder Singh 27; Meet Bhavsar 2/22, Adnan Idrees 2/13) lost to Kuwait 144/7 in 19.3 overs (Meet Bhavsar 63, Muhammad Umar 36; Jay Odedra 2/15, Shakeel Ahmed 2/28).
