Ayaan Khan stars as Oman beat Namibia by nine runs

Muscat: In a high scoring thriller, Oman beat Namibia by nine runs in the second match of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League Two 2019-2023 at the Wanderers Cricket Ground, Windhoek in Namibia on Saturday.

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Oman scored a massive 291 for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 50 overs.

Opener Kashyap Prajapati set the ball rolling with a sedate 52 off74 balls studded with four boundaries and a six. He was ably supported by Aqib Ilyas, who scored a quickfire 43 off 23 balls, with four boundaries and three massive sixes.

However, the star of the innings was Ayaan Khan, who top scored with 83 off93 balls, studded with three boundaries and two sixes.

There were other useful contributions by Mohammed Nadeem [24], captain Zeeshan Maqsood [24] and Sandeep Goud [24], which led Oman to a respectable total of 291.

Ruben Trumpelmann was the star bowler for Namibia, picking up 5 wickets for 76 runs. JJ Smit took two in his 10 overs, conceding 49 runs.

In reply, Namibia had a badstart, losing Stephan Baard in the second over with only 5 on the board. A rearguard recovery by opener Zane Green and Michael van Lingen maintained the pace till Lingen was dismissed for 17 runs.

Following this, Craig Williams did his bit, scoring 38 off 48 balls. The star of the Namibia innings was their Captain JJ Smit, who hit5boundaries and 6 sixes in a swashbuckling innings of 94 in 72 balls.

However, Smit’s dismissal in the 49thover and early wicket led to Namibia falling short by nine runs.

Oman Captain Zeeshan Maqsood was the pick of the bowlers, with 3 wickets for 45 runs, while Bilal Khan and Mohammed Nadeem picking up two apiece.

For his impressive show with the bat, Ayaan Khan was adjudged the Player of the Match.

Oman is currently leading the point table at 29points in 20matches, with 14 wins and five losses. Namibia is the fifth position with 10 points in nine matches.

Brief Scores – Oman 291/9 in 50 Overs (Ayaan Khan 83 (93) 3×4, 2×6, Kashyap 52(74) 4×4, 1×6; Trumpelmann 76/5) beat Namibia 282/9 in 50 overs (JJ Smit 94 (72) 5×4, 6×6, Zeeshan Maqsood 45/3) by 9 Runs