BULAWAYO: A combined bowling and batting effort lifted Oman to a stunning five-wicket victory over the UAE before Scotland edged Ireland in a last-ball CWC Qualifier thriller on Wednesday.
In the eighth match of the CWC Qualifier, spirited Oman continued their dream campaign as they thumped the UAE by five wickets and 24 balls to spare at the back of Jay Odedra’s three wickets and fifties from Shoaib Khan and Aqib Ilyas.
Put into bat first, UAE batters coped with a tight bowling effort from Oman and could only accumulate 227 for the loss of eight wickets in the allotted 50 overs.
The UAE had a dismal start to their innings as the side slipped to 16/2 in the fourth over as both openers perished after scoring eight each.
Wicketkeeper batter Vriitya Aravind and Rameez Shahzad anchored UAE’s innings with a gutsy 87-run partnership for the third wicket.
The pair took their past the 100-run mark but remained a touch too slow as Oman bowlers gave no room to them to score freely.
The dire need for some quick runs forced Shahzad to make a costly error against Odedra and threw his wicket at a crucial stage.
He struck five boundaries on his way to a 51-ball 38.
Aravind soon followed the footstep of Shahzad as he was too, castled by Odedra in the span of 23 deliveries and fell just one short of his fighting half-century. He scored 49 off 84 balls with the help of three boundaries.
The UAE then began to lose wickets at an alarming rate and soon slipped to 194/8 in the 46th over but an unbeaten half-century knock by Aayan Afzal Khan at the backend bolstered the side to finish at 227/8.
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Khan top-scored for UAE with 58 from 52 deliveries, featuring 10 boundaries.
Jay Odedra led the bowling attack for Oman with 3/31, followed by Bilal Khan and Fayyaz Khan, who took two wickets each.
Set to chase a modest 228, Oman completed the calculated pursuit for the loss of just five wickets and 24 balls to spare thanks to brilliant fifties from Shoaib Khan and Aqib Ilyas.
Oman had an alike start to their innings as they were two down for just 14 runs in five overs.
Following the slump, Shoaib and Aqib anchored the run chase with a sensible 100-run partnership for the third wicket, which ended when the latter fell in the 28th over briefly after amassing his half-century. He top-scored for Oman with a 75-ball 53, hitting three boundaries and a six.
Following his dismissal, Muhammad Nadeem and Shoaib Khan stood up and guided their side through the run chase.
Shoaib Khan, who got retired hurt in the middle overs, returned to finish the proceeding and played an unbeaten match-winning knock of 52 off 70 deliveries.
Nadeem, on the other hand, scored 50 not out from 57 deliveries, laced up with five boundaries.
In the seventh match of the CWC Qualifier, Scotland edged Ireland by just one wicket after Michael Leask’s gritty 91-run knock.
Put into bat first, Ireland recovered from a disappointing start, courtesy of Curtis Campher’s century and piled 286/8 in 50 overs.
Campher top-scored for Ireland with 120 off 108 balls with the help of nine boundaries and four sixes.
George Dockrell played a supporting role in Ireland’s recovery with Campher with a cautious 69. He faced 93 deliveries and smashed four boundaries and a six.
Opening batter Andy McBrine was the other valuable contributor to Ireland’s total with a 39-run knock.
Set to chase 287, Scotland completed the run chase on the final delivery as Michael Leask stood tall in the tense run chase.
He top-scored for Ireland with an unbeaten 91 off 61 deliveries, smashing nine boundaries and four sixes.
Opener Christopher McBride (56) and all-rounder Mark Watt (47) contributed significantly in the tense run chase for Scotland.
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