Cricket World Cup Qualifier Day 2 – Oman stun Ireland while Sri Lanka dominate

Day 2 of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier saw Oman pulled off the first upset of the tournament to defeat Ireland by 5 wickets, whilst Sri Lanka dominated against UAE.

Sri Lanka (355/6, 50 overs) defeated UAE (180 all out, 39 overs) by 175 runs

Sri Lanka produced a complete display to crush UAE in the opening fixture of Group B, winning with nearly double the total of their opposition at Queen’s Sports Club, Bulawayo.

Winning the toss was about as good as it got for the Emiratis, who chose to bowl first. Dimuth Karunaratne raced out the block alongside Pathum Nissanka, raising 95 runs in 17 overs for the first wicket. Karunaratne fell for 52, LBW to Aayan Khan, but Kusal Mendis kept up the charge for the Lions in his place.

All four of Sri Lanka’s top order would go on to make 50+ scores, with Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama adding 70s at better than 100 strike rates. By the time Samarawickrama was out in 45^th over, Sri Lanka already had 287 runs on the board. Dasun Shanaka and Dhananjaya de Silva both fell for low scores, but Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga dominated the death overs. The pair scored 58 off the last 22 balls to raise 355/6.

In reply, Rohan Mustafa fell caught and bowled to Lahiru Kumara in the 6^th over at 35/1. Captain Muhammed Waseem and Vriitya Aravind resisted for a 46-run partnership, before Hasaranga arrived on the scene. The whirlwind leg-break bowler dismissed Waseem and Basil Hameed in four balls, before returning to trap Asif Khan in his next over.

Aravind was out for 39 to Dhananjaya, and although there was resistance for the 6^th wicket, Hasaranga returned to finish the job, ultimately claiming 6 for 24 in 8 overs. UAE were all out for 180, compounding a crushing 175 run defeat.

Both teams play Oman in their next fixture, with UAE playing next on Wednesday, whilst Sri Lanka tackle the Sultanates on Friday.

Oman (285/5, 48.1 overs) defeated Ireland (281/7, 50 overs) by 5 wickets

For the second time in an ICC event, Oman defeated a lacklustre Ireland side, emerging victorious by 5 wickets at Bulawayo Athletic Club.

In the first ODI meeting between the two sides, Oman won the toss and asked Ireland to bat. Paul Stirling and Andy McBrine got Ireland off to a steady start, scoring 51 runs for the opening stand, before each falling on consecutive balls across the 9^th and 10^th overs to Bilal Khan and Fayyaz Butt. Andy Balbirnie struggled for 7 off 19 balls before his dismissal, leaving Ireland 69/3.

Harry Tector managed 50, but was tied down by Omani attack. And whilst there were counter attacking cameos from the middle order, lead by George Dockrell’s run-a-ball 91, Ireland finished with an under par 281. Wickets were shared around the Omani bowling line-up, with Bilal Khan leading with 2 for 64.

In reply, Oman lost their first wicket early on, Jatinder Singh caught at slip for 1. But after, Oman settled into a rhythm, and capitalised on wayward bowling from Ireland’s spinners. Kashjap Prajapati lead the way with 72 off 74 balls, with Aaqib Iylas and Zeeshan Maqsood both contributing fifties.

Josh Little snared two wickets to offer Ireland hope, but once he had bowled his allocation, Oman were unthreatened, with Mohammed Nadeem’s 46 carrying the Omani’s over the line with 11 balls to spare. The result is Oman’s first ODI win over a full member.

Oman play Nepal in their next match on Wednesday, whilst Ireland play Scotland on the same day.

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