MUSCAT: Left-arm spinners Zeeshan Maqsood and Ayaan Khan left Papua New Guinea (PNG) in tatters as Oman started another round of World Cricket League (WCL) 2 campaign with a massive 110-run win here at Oman Cricket Academy Ground 2 in Al Amerat on Sunday.
Chasing Oman’s 250 for 7, PNG could only crawl their way to 140 before being dismissed in the 43rd over, captain Zeeshan did the bulk of early damage, picking up 4 for 28 in 10 overs.
Ayaan came on to seal the tourists’ fate with a superb purchase of 3 for 12 in 7.2 overs. Only Jason Kila and Assad Vala made notable contributions with the bat, scoring 36 and 27 respectively.
Oman showed a lot of maturity to reach 250 on a pitch that always seemed to have something for the bowlers. Spinners in particular looked more threatening as the ball gripped, turned and bounced, doing everything to keep the batters on the guard.
Suraj Kumar’s top-score of 62 not out was of much more value considering the life wasn’t all that easy in the middle. Ayaan (44) and Aqib (34) looked equally impressive in their stay on the pitch, exhibiting focus and flourish at the same time. Zeeshan and Naseem Khushi chipped in with useful contributions of 27 and 26 respectively.
The tournament will resume after Monday’s rest day when Oman takes on fancied Scotland on Tuesday in what promises to be an intriguing contest.
Brief scores: Oman 250 for 7 in 50 overs (Suraj Kumar 62 – 2×4, 2×6, Ayaan Khan 44 – 5×4, Aqib Ilyas 34 – 5×4, Naseem Khushi 27 – 4×4, Zeeshan Maqsood 26 – 3×4. Kabua Morea 2-50) thrashed PNG 140 all out in 42.2 overs (Jason Kila 36 – 2×4, 1×6, Assad Vala 27 – 1×4. Zeeshan Maqsood 4-28, Ayaan Khan 3-12, Aqib Ilyas 2-34) by 110 runs.
