Oman is all set to take on Australia in match 10 of the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup 2024 which will take place at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, on June 6 (Thursday). Ahead of the big clash Oman's captain Aqib Ilyas has given his assessment of the Australian team's ability to bat against spin bowling and how it can potentially be game-changing against them. He also said how the absence of technical players like Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne can backfire on the Aussies.
Aqib Ilyas on Australian team
"Yeah, exactly. You see the last match, how the ball was turning and staying low in the last match. These teams had a few good technique players in the past like Smith and Labuschagne but I don’t think they have many now. They look to hit big. Everyone tries to go for sixes but every day it is not the same day and if the same wicket is there, maybe it can be a problem for them. As you could see PNG bowling against West Indies, they were difficult to chase 130 runs even on having one of the biggest hitters in the side," said Oman captain Aqib Illyas in the pre-match press conference.
"So, on a slower track, on a slow wicket, with good quality spinners, only thing is we have to play with the big heart and we have to put it on the right areas. It’s just about the areas because the ball doesn’t know how big the batsman in front of it. If it turns a bit, it stays low or anything happens, the batsman is gone," said Ilyas.
Oman demonstrated one of the greatest fightbacks in their opening game against Namibia. After being bowled out on the paltry score of 109 runs, their bowlers forced Namibia to take the match into the Super Over. However, they eventually fell short there and suffered a defeat despite showing brilliant resilience.
AUS vs Oman Squads
Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh(c), Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis(w), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Ashton Agar, Tim David, Matthew Wade, Nathan Ellis
Oman: Kashyap Prajapati, Naseem Khushi(w), Aqib Ilyas(c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Khalid Kail, Ayaan Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Mehran Khan, Shakeel Ahmed, Kaleemullah, Bilal Khan, Fayyaz Butt, Shoaib Khan, Rafiullah, Pratik Athavale
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