The world turned its head towards this Northern cousin of South Africa, Namibia, when they defeated Sri Lanka in the First round during the last T20 World Cup in 2022. The world again turned its head in Namibia’s direction when they bottled the best chance they had to proceed to Super 12s by losing two tantalizingly close games against the Netherlands and the UAE. This time, though, life is not as kind to them. They not only have to stress over sharing the group with Australia and England but also have to keep an eye out for Scotland and Oman. However, there are positives aplenty even amidst this sticky situation. They have players who are known match-winners and would definitely not hesitate swimming upstream to end the tournament as better than a mere third place.
Oman missed out on qualifying for the previous T20 World Cup edition after failing to triumph over Ireland in the semi-final of Global Qualifiers A. This time around they made sure to make no mistake and remained unbeaten in the qualifiers to enter the global tournament. However, the odds of continuing the unbeaten streak are astronomical. Oman could do well to make its case against Namibia and Scotland by punching above its weight. If that does not happen, the team will have to finish their World Cup campaign without any win.
Team Overview:
Despite having a seasoned player like Gerhard Erasmus as their skipper, Namibia would not, for a moment. forget their best batter lately, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, who smashed the fastest T20I century earlier this year. Facing disciplinary issues, Nicol was sacked as a captain mid-way through the African Games and was eventually not made part of the World Cup-bound squad as well. Another player whose presence would be felt immensely is the veteran batter Pikky Ya France. Despite these two surprise exclusions, Namibia has gathered a pretty decent squad. Their well-rounded team consists of players Like David Wiese who has tons of experience playing in the Caribbean Premier League as well as the Major Cricket League. The Skipper Gerhard Erasmus is no less in his all-round skills. Especially with the ball, he has been quite clinical lately.
Oman’s squad does not have any big games but one thing they are known for is fighting till the last second. They show a semblance to their maritime neighbors, Pakistan, in the way their batters and bowlers take turns to put on a show. The newly hired captain Aqib Illyas along with Zeeshan Maqsood and Bilal Khan are Oman’s best cards. While no one would expect them to end up in the Super 8s, a victory against Scotland or Namibia (or both) and playing their best game against England and Australia would make this campaign worth remembering.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Namibia and Oman have faced each other in 6 T20I games since their first International encounter in 2019. To no one’s surprise, Namibia has dominated the match-up by winning four out of these six while Oman got the better of the African team in two games.
Weather and Pitch Report:
A non-threatening downpour is expected which will not last long enough to hurt or truncate the game. Bridgetown is heaven for those who love to complement their skills with the bounce off the pitch. Pacers and batters love to flaunt their skills here and this encounter could see a run galore.
Prediction:
Namibia is a clear favourite to win this face-off but expecting a down-the-wire game would not be foolish keeping in mind the current form of Oman players. Although Oman does have pretty good chances to best the game though closely, it would be a mammoth task to do so.
Where to Watch:
- India – Star Sports
- Pakistan – PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Myco (Live streaming) and Tamasha app (Live streaming)
- USA and Canada – Willow TV
- England – Sky Sports Network
- Caribbean – ESPN Caribbean
- New Zealand & Australia – Sky Sports NZ, Prime Video
- Other regions – SuperSport, Sirasa, CricLife, STARZPLAY
Also read: PNG v WI – Match Preview
