Muscat, November 13
Oman's win over the Netherlands have tightened the League 2 Race as two points separate the top five teams with a third of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 cycle completed.
Despite missing regular captain Aqib Ilyas among other players, the men from the sultanate went four wins from four matches in their recent tri-series with The Netherlands and United Arab Emirates, capping off the home stand with a last-gasp one-run win over the Dutch.
In a defiant defence of 155 at the Academy Ground in Al-Amerat, Oman tied their opponents up with spin as slow bowlers claimed all 10 wickets.
Aamir Kaleem's 4/24 (10) led the group, with Shakeel Ahmad bowling five maidens to finish with 2/15 (10), and Siddharth Bukkapatnam's 2/23 (9) joining in to stifle their opponents. Having watched his spinners' success, stand-in captain Jatinder Singh threw the ball to Karan Sonavale with the Dutch requiring just two runs, and the decision paid dividends when Dutch No.11 holed out to Muzahir Raza to spark Omani celebrations.
The victory means just a one-win gap is the difference between spots one to five on the table, with the top four teams at the end of the cycle claiming automatic spots for the Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Here's how both the teams stand so far in the World Cup Qualifiers points table:
4th: Netherlands - 14 points (7 wins, 5 losses)
The Dutch knew they would have their work cut out for them even after famous wins at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, and the early view is that an automatic Qualifier spot is no guarantee for Scott Edwards' team.
The men in orange will rue a poor Oman leg in the recent fortnight, dropping three out of four matches and far from their best, failing to counter spinners on slow Middle-Eastern wickets. Looking ahead though, the side only face similar conditions in the last of their nine tri-series of the campaign, when they travel to UAE in December 2026.
The Dutch have the opportunity to make a push early next year, playing their 12-match block in 2025 from March to May, travelling to Namibia before a home stand and then a series in Scotland on decks likely to be more conducive to their success.
Even with issues of availability through domestic cricket likely to impede the team, their best should be enough for a top-four spot when the dust settles at the end of the campaign.
5th: Oman - 14 points (6 wins, 4 losses, 2 no results)
On the flip side to The Netherlands, Oman have made a big move in the recent home tri-series, winning all four matches to go from near cellar-dwellers to top-four hopefuls.
The catalyst for the uptick in form is arguably a shuffle of personnel, with a handful of changes and new blood to a team desperate for fresh legs.
An influx of spin talent has propelled the team, in large part thanks to Shakeel Ahmed, who has claimed 17 wickets at just 10.94 in seven outings. The side are looking for better output from their batters around Aqib Ilyas once he returns to the side, though two half-centuries for the returning Jatinder Singh in tough conditions at leat shows a path to success.