All of a sudden, things are going in favour of Associates Oman in the ongoing 2016 World Twenty20 first round. Following a memorable two-wicket win over giant-killers Ireland last Wednesday, they shared the points with the Netherlands as heavy rainfall forced off their clash in Dharamsala yesterday.
The fate of Group A now depends on the Bangladesh-Oman game, scheduled for tomorrow. In all likelihood, the tie will decide which side go through to the main round where hosts India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand lie in wait.
And ahead of their all-important clash, Oman captain Sultan Ahmed, the oldest skipper in the sixth edition, informed the media that his side will play for a win against the Tigers.
Oman attained the status of Associates only last year and this is the very first time they will be up against a Full Member side.
“Yes, definitely excited, but we are very confident to give our best and, God willing, we will beat Bangladesh. Yes, definitely, we played some good cricket against Ireland. We also had the opportunity to play a series against Hong Kong [recently] and we beat them 3-2. I think we are very confident because the circumstances and the atmosphere are in favour of us,” said Sultan in the post-match press conference yesterday.
The 38-year old said there is no fixed salary structure in place in Oman cricket so events like the World T20 is a golden opportunity for them to prove that they belong. Sultan though urged for more games in future so that they can improve themselves and challenge the bigger sides more often.
“Definitely there should be more cricket played and if we can play more matches in different formats, the popularity of cricket in Oman will increase and many more will be eager to play this game back home,” he added.
