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Dharamsala: Oman came up with a shokcing and stellar performance against European minnows Ireland in the Group A Round 1, Match 4 of the ongoing ICC World T20 2016, at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala on Wednesday.
Three Oman batsman in the form of Zeeshan Maqsood, Khawar Ali and Aamer Ali score 30 above odd runs to allow Oman register in what can be called the opening upset of the tournament.
Earlier, Ireland skipper William Porterfield won the toss and elected to bat first, as both the teams went in with a balanced side.
Ireland finished on a challenging total of 154 for the loss of five wickets, courtesy of Gary Wilson’s 38.
Oman started the chase on a very positive note, as they came up with the opening stand of 69 runs in the form of openers Zeeshan Maqsood and Khawar Ali, before Khawar fell for a healthy 34 to Kevin O’Brien
Otehr opener Maqsood, who too fell off the same man in a similar fashion, a couple of over later, for a healthy 38.
Following the dismissal of the opener, the partnership went shaky, as they lost another three quick wickets in the form of Adnan Ilyas (4) off Max Sorensen in the 13th over after being caught bu Paul Stirling.
Nevertheless, it was followed by a shocking 47-run stand for the sixth wicket between Jatinder Singh and Aamer Ali, as both the batsmen continued to smash the Irish bowlers, especially Aamer Ali, and bringing the equation to a decent one, before Jatinder fell for 24 to Boyd Rankin, who bowled him up in the 18th over.
It was followed by their skipper Sultan Ahmed in the 19th over for a mere single, who was unfortunately run out, and the final over saw quaite a few drama, also invlolving the dismissal of Aamer Ali, who was caught behind by Niall O’Brien off Peter Sorensen for 32, but it was too late, as Oman saw the match through with just a couple of balls remaining.
Brief scores
Ireland - 154 for 5 (Wilson 38, Ansari 3-37)
Oman - 157 or 8 (Maqsood 38, Khawar Ali 34, Aamer Ali 32, McBrine 2-15)
Result - Oman won by 2 wickets
Points - Oman 2, Ireland 0
