Muscat: One of the most dramatic and topsy-turvy ODIs in recent memory – the third and final match between Oman and the United Arab Emirates ended in a tie.
To start proceedings, the UAE chose to stick with the winning formula after winning the toss, and asked Oman to bat first. The hosts shuffled their batting order around this time, sending domestic opening partners Jatinder Singh and Kashyap Prajapati out to lead the line.
That decision was vindicated, as the pair erected a 50+ opening stand – Oman’s first in this three-match series. However, just like in the game on Sunday, the batsmen who got starts failed to convert them into match-defining knocks. Jatinder, Kashyap and captain Zeeshan all looked in great touch – Kashyap especially so with an assertive 89 ball 57, but while all of them decorated this game, none of them dominated it.
Basil Hameed stepped up with the ball once again for the visitors and followed his fiver from the previous game by claiming the priceless scalps of Kashyap and Zeeshan in back-to-back overs. With the captain gone, Oman’s innings veered off course.
The next 12 overs added 56 runs to the scorecard, along with 6 wickets. Two timely sixes from Naseem Khushi ensured that Oman got past the 200 mark, but the hosts were unable to bat out their quota of 50 overs once again, folding for 214 with 3 balls to spare.
Oman’s efforts with the ball got off to a much better start, as UAE’s top order let them down for the first time this series. Bilal Khan shattered the stumps of Chirag Suri in the 7th over. Kaleemullah sent Chundangapoyil Rizwan and Vriitya Aravind packing in back-to-back deliveries of the 10th. But as effective as Oman’s pacers were, it was the spinners that stole the show.
Khawar Ali got rid of the dangerous Muhammed Waseem just as the opener was threatening to settle in for a long day’s work. Zeeshan Maqsood went wicketless but kept the pressure on the batsmen all the time with his parsimonious spells. Nestor Dhamba, the pick of the bunch, crippled the UAE batting line-up time and again by picking up wickets at crucial moments. In particular, the ball that dismissed Muhammad Usman – 3 runs short of a half century, is one for the history books.
The visitors to their credit did not give up. Kashif Daud made a dazzling 50 to keep his side in the game and received able support from Basil Hameed and Rohan Mustafa from the other end.
The game went down to the wire, with the UAE needing 9 off the final 6. Khawar Ali kept it tight for the most part, but a full toss and an untimely missed run-out opportunity meant that the spoils were shared in the end.
With the series ending 2-0, Oman have extended their lead atop the ICC CWC League 2 with 30 points from 23 matches. However, they will know that they must improve on their showings in this series massively, to have any chance of qualifying for the World Cup in India next year.
BRIEF SCORES:
Oman 214/10 in 49.3 overs (Kashyap Prajapati 57(89) 3 x 4, 1 x 6 Kashif Daud – 41/3 Zahoor Khan – 57/3) tied with UAE 214/10 in 50 overs (Kashif Daud 52(52) 3 x 4, 3 x 6 Nestor Dhamba – 20/3 Khawar Ali 49/3)
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