//Maiden five-wicket ODI haul by Oman spinner as hosts record four-wicket victory
MUSCAT- A mesmerising spell by Oman’s Shakeel Ahmed left the UAE batters in a spin as the hosts won by four wickets to secure a hat-trick of wins in the ongoing Cricket World Cup (CWC) League 2 tri-series at the Oman Cricket Academy ground on Thursday.
Chasing a modest target of 79, Oman found themselves in early trouble, losing skipper Jatinder Singh, Wasim Ali, and in-form Ashish Odedara to slump to 12/3 after just eight overs. However, the experience of Aamir Kaleem (32) steadied the ship. Kaleem, alongside wicketkeeper Hammad Mirza (20), shared a crucial 56-run fourth-wicket partnership to put the hosts back on track.
But just as Oman seemed to be in control, a flurry of wickets from UAE’s Baseel Hameed triggered a mini-collapse. Hameed claimed the scalps of Kaleem, Mirza, and Shakeel Ahmed, leaving Oman at a precarious 72/6. Nevertheless, the calmness of Mohammad Nadeem and Sandeep Goud saw Oman over the line, reaching 79/6 in 24.1 overs to complete the chase.
In a low-scoring encounter, it was once again the team that adapted better to the conditions that emerged victorious.
With the pitch offering plenty of turn, Shakeel Ahmed bamboozled the UAE batters, twice coming close to a hat-trick as he took wickets in quick succession. His stunning figures of 5/23 were the cornerstone of Oman’s success. The all-rounder had already starred in Oman’s previous match against the Netherlands, where he claimed 4 wickets, and his latest performance earned him his maiden five-wicket haul in the format.
Ahmed’s brilliance was supported by fellow spinner Jay Odedra, who took 2/5, while leg-spinner Samay Shrivastav and medium-pacer Muzahir Raza picked up a wicket each. Together, they bowled out the UAE for a paltry 78 in just 25.3 overs.
UAE’s top scorer was Ali Naseer, who made 21, while Basil Hameed, who had looked to revive the innings, was run out for 12.
Raza gave Oman the perfect start by getting UAE’s opener Aryansh Sharma leg-before in the first over. From there, Ahmed took over, removing Muhammad Waseem and Vishnu Sukumaran off successive deliveries in the eighth over.
Four overs later, Ahmed struck again, dismissing Vritya Aravind and Ayaan Afzal Khan off consecutive balls, coming within a whisker of a hat-trick. Although he didn’t complete the feat, his spell of 5/23 did maximum damage, and with Odedra and Shrivastav picking up wickets in between, the UAE’s batting order crumbled.
Thursday’s victory was Oman’s third consecutive win at home and moved them up to fifth in the eight-nation table, with 12 points from 11 games. The Netherlands are just above Oman, also with 12 points but from 10 matches, while the USA lead the standings with 16 points from 12 games. Oman will face the Netherlands in the final match of the tri-series on November 11, with the Dutch playing UAE on Saturday before that.
The UAE remain at the bottom of the table, having earned only 4 points from 10 games.
Brief scores: UAE 78 all out in 25.3 overs (Ali Naseer 21; Shakeel Ahmed 5/23) lost to Oman 79/6 in 24.1 overs (Aamir Kaleem 32, Hammad Mirza 20; Baseel Hameed 3/17).