Last edition Australia were an utter disappointment in the T20 World Cup. Despite being the host, the Kangaroos had to suffer a group-stage exit which owes greatly to the opening game of their World Cup against New Zealand where they endured an 89-run defeat. Although they went on to win two more matches with ease, clinched one match from the jaws of Afghanistan, and saw a match getting abandoned due to rain, their knockout stage hopes were already over. But besides that disgraceful World Cup campaign, Australia have quite literally ruled the cricket World. They have the urn. They have the mace. Most importantly, they have the ODI World Cup. While their trophy trove is already teeming with silverware, completing the treble collection has never hurt anyone.
This time Australia are slated to begin against Oman, who might seem to be a daunting opponent, but their super-over game against Namibia reflected the potential they possess fairly well. Defending 5 runs in the last over with a batter like David Wiese on the crease is not a child’s play. Take the effort that was put up by the Oman players, multiply it by a thousand, and that is what they would need to subdue an opponent like Australia. Nevertheless, Oman would have two choices; to put up a strong fight or asphyxiate their Super 8s dreams themselves.
Team Overview:
Australia lost their solitary warm-up fixture against West Indies when a 9-man Kangaroos team turned up to play while the other players battled the IPL hangover. Australia at first glance look like a batting-heavy unit with just enough bowling slots to somehow complete the 20 overs. But the yellow team has sneakily ticked all the boxes with their squad. The batting unit is stacked with players of every kind. They have hitters who are just hitters. Then they have batters who know how to play percentage cricket. They have spinners like Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar who would be lethal as cyanide on Caribbean pitches. Their fast bowling unit, though may not look as suited to the shortest format as its longer counterparts, but they still can still do a good job on the bowling-friendly pitches.
Oman will play again at the same venue but this time against a more formidable opponent. What they would need to ensure is that their batters stay bat as long as they can. If their bowlers can mimic the performances from the last game, they can make Australia toil hard for victory.
Head-to-head Matches:
It will be the first time for both teams to face each other in an International fixture. Oman have played against a select few Test-playing nations.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Barbados’ sky will remain covered with clouds throughout the day with minimal chances of rain, which is unlikely to influence the game in any way. The pitch could end up being tricky for the batters especially as was seen in the Namibia vs Oman game. Nevertheless, pacers and spinners would run riots here and Australia could really afford to play two pacers as many spinners to gain what the pitch has to offer.
Prediction:
Australia are ten-to-ones on odds to win this fixture but it would be quite a show to see Oman fight back with all they can.
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
