*SRILANKA VS OMAN MATCH 11 PREVIEW- ICC WORLDCUP QUALIFIERS*
*THE BUILD UP:*
11th game into the tournament and we’ve already been treated to a few classics in this tournament. As we stride out to witness another gripping contest, let us remember how a underwhelming Oman can also triumph over a flying Srilanka, who after their 175 run win the other day are certainly on course to dominate.
What worked for SL against UAE was their collective showing, the ability to never stop throwing sparks of brilliance. Their batting wrecked the bowling lineup of UAE, and this mammoth score of 355 is a testimony to this fact. The likes of Nissanka, Karunaratne, Mendis, Samarawickrama, Asalanka alongside an impactful cameo from Hasaranga- all were among the runs, which goes onto show the reluctancy of their top and middle order to keep striving for the best. They’d look to topple Oman and disturb them with such a brutal batting performance once again, which gives them the edge to defend better. The bowling of the island nation was carried wholeheartedly by Wanindu, who picked up a 6 wicket haul. The others supported him well with economical spells and Oman would be vary of what this leggie, who has been a rising stock since 2019, is capable of doing. Even on pace friendly decks of the UAE, Hasaranga conquered all odds and was instrumental in bundling Oman out for a mere 180.
Oman, led by the powerful Zeeshan Maqsood, conquered Ireland at Bulawayo only to topple UAE at the same venue a few days later. What would work for them is that they are going up against Lanka, in Bulawayo again- which gives them the advantage of being familiar with the conditions. Oman head into this game having chased first a big total, in excess of 280 coupled with a low scoring chase vs UAE, with 5 wickets remaining. The Middle eastern outfit has shown composure at crunch moments and it was pretty much evident against Ireland, whose stakes were placed much higher. They have a challenge ahead of them tomorrow and if they win this, their chances of going through to the WorldCup triple.
*SL PROBABLE XI:*
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(Wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dhananjaya DeSilva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
Theekshana is a T20 superstar already and shown what he can do in the shortest format of the game however it’s his ODI returns that still worry me and keep the Lankans on their toes. He isn’t that reliable a bet in the One day Internationals, averaging 36.56 with a strike rate of nearly 50. He returned with figures of 1/43(10.0) vs UAE and would be hoping to imitate the success of his partner Wanindu come this game against Oman.
Mendis and Karunaratne are technically extremely strong and it’s a pleasure to see them go about their game in the ODIs. They were among the bulk of the runs even in the first game and would be aiming at going a step further, by breaching past the three figure mark. The Omani bowlers would present them with a good opportunity to pounce and dominate in some fashion.
*OMAN PROBABLE XI:*
Jatinder Singh, Kashyap Prajapati, Shoaib Khan, Ayaan Khan, Zeeshan Maqsood(C), Aqib Ilyas, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi(wk), Bilal Khan, Fayyaz Butt, Jay Odedra
Aqib Ilyas, Oman’s stable No3 batter will be looking to churn out the bowling attack of Srilanka and attack their strongest bet- their spin bowling. With two fifties backing 30 year old, I fancy some consistency again from the top order batter, who’s also been Oman’s best batter this tournament.
Bilal Khan-Fayyaz Butt-Jay Odedra, all having picked up 4 scalps already in this tourney with Odedra getting a three-fer will be threatening to give a body blow to the Lankan batting lineup, which did remarkably well in their innings of 355 runs. Jay Odedera would be their triumph card because not only has he picked up the big wickets but has also been inexpensive in the two games so far. The experience of Zeeshan as an allrounder and the form that he’s coming in will also prove to a game defining factor.
*MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE GAME:*
*FOR SL:*
Highest run getter- Pathum Nissanka/Kusal Mendis
Highest wicket taker- Wanindu Hasaranga/Lahiru Kumara
*FOR OMAN:*
Highest run getter- Muhammed Waseem/Zeeshan Maqsood
Highest wicket taker- Bilal Khan/Fayyaz Butt
*FOR THIS GAME:*
Srilanka to win back to back with a good win against Oman.