His team may not have gotten most things right amidst a poor campaign in the T20 World Cup, but Oman captain Jatinder Singh and his boys are not short on confidence as they go up against a wounded Australian side in their final Group B match in Pallekele on Friday.
Despite being battered by Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Ireland by resounding margins in the previous rounds, Singh is exuding confidence from the similar struggles shared by Australia during their disastrous run in the island nation. With stunning defeats to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in succession, Australia missed out on qualification past the group stage for the first time in 17 years in the T20 World Cup.
“One hundred percent this is an opportunity,” said Jatinder on the eve of the one-sided pairing on paper.
“And our boys are looking forward to it. Because T20 is a game of momentum and the moments, and if you play those moments right, you can do anything on that particular day. Australia is not doing well at the moment… it is the best time to crush them. The boys are really positive. They are looking forward to the match against Australia to make their mark,” Singh remarked.
Oman and Australia similarly met during the group-stages of the 2024 World Cup on a sticky Barbados surface. The Aussies did not romp home then either, with the batters only mustering a 164-run total against the underdogs. But for a strong bowling attack, the Aussies eventually restricted Oman to 125 for nine in 20 overs. However, a long list of injuries and poor form will mean that Oman will bump into a wobbly bowling unit and the probabilities of an upset cannot be entirely overruled.
The Oman captain also said that doors to franchise cricket could open up in the country for the betterment of his players.
“Well if I have to sum up [how Oman can improve], it would be if we have the franchise cricket happening in the country or our guys get a chance to play franchise cricket elsewhere,” Jatinder said. “I think we can fill that gap and they can bring vast amount of experience for our national team.”
