Monday 29 / April / 2024
MUSCAT: Oman Cricket is all set to host Namibia for a five-match bilateral T20 international series at the Oman Cricket Academy ground in Al Amerat from April 1-7.
Both the teams have qualified for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, to be jointly hosted by West Indies and the USA, and the five-match series will serve as a good preparation for the World Cup-bound squads.
Confirming the tour, Oman Cricket Chief Development Officer Duleep Mendis said: “The bilateral series involving five matches series presents an invaluable opportunity for the teams to fine-tune their strategies and compositions before the World Cup commences in June.”
The matches will be played from April 1-7 with April 3 and April 6 rest days. The matches will start from 2.30pm.
Oman and Namibia are clubbed in the same Group B at the T20 World Cup. The group also consists of the last two winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup in England and Australia, and Scotland. Coincidentally, Oman and Namibia will inaugurate their World Cup campaign by facing each other on June 2, 2024, in Barbados, West Indies.
Oman had recently hosted Papua New Guinea, another team bound for T20 World Cup, for an unofficial one-day international series and a T20I series with the hosts drawing level the one-day two-match series and winning the T20I series 2-1.
Head coach of Oman, Mendis, is looking forward to the series against Namibia and hopes that his players will keep the winning momentum as they prepare themselves for the World Cup.
Oman were initially scheduled to travel to a four-nation tournament in Uganda in April with the hosts along with the Netherlands and Namibia the other teams.
However, following the cancellation of the tournament, Oman Cricket got in touch with the Namibian Cricket counterparts and agreed for the five-match series in Oman.
With teams preparing for the World Cup in June, the upcoming five-match series is an “ideal way” to proceed, according to Mendis.
Oman head coach said: “Following the cancellation of the Uganda tour due to unforeseen reasons, we were fortunate to get Namibia agreed to a tour to Oman, despite that fact that both the teams are in the same pool at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
“This will be a good preparation for us ahead of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Men’s T20 Premier Cup, Asia Cup Qualifier, which we will be hosting from April 12-21. A total of ten teams will be competing in the Premier Cup, which will also boost our preparations ahead of the June ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.”
Mendis said: “The tour against Namibia serves as optimal preparation for the two major events in April and June. Oman Cricket extends its gratitude to the Namibia Cricket Association for their cooperation and agreement to the tour.”
At the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA from June 1-29, Oman is one of the 20 teams competing. The event is split up into four groups consisting of five teams, with the top two sides from each group then progressing to the Super Eight phase of the tournament ahead of the knockout semi-finals and final.
Joining co-hosts USA in Group A are arch-rivals India and Pakistan, as well as Canada in their first appearance at the event as well as the European side Ireland.
The West Indies are placed into Group C alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, while Group D sees South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands and Nepal pooled against each other.
