England’s bowling unit delivered a commanding performance against Oman, dismissing their underdog opponents for a mere 47 runs, propelling their pursuit of a place in the next phase of the T20 World Cup.
Aiming for a decisive victory to enhance their net run rate and leapfrog Scotland in the quest for the Super 8s, the reigning champions swiftly dismantled the Omani batting line up.
England’s bowlers wrapped up all 10 wickets in just 13.2 overs. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid led the charge with figures of 4 for 11, while fast bowlers Mark Wood and Jofra Archer both secured 3 for 12. Shoaib Khan was the only Omani player to score in double digits, managing just 11 runs.
From the start, England’s objective was clear: they needed resounding wins in their final two games, with a strong significance on widening victory margins.
Opting to field after winning the toss, Jos Buttler entrusted his bowlers to dominate, rather than placing the burden on his batsmen to rack up high scores.
This decision proved to be spot-on. Reece Topley brought back into the line up in place of Chris Jordan, delivered a solid three-over opening spell. Archer then initiated the wicket-taking spree at the Sir Andy Roberts End.
Pratik Athavale and Oman’s captain Aqib Ilyas struggled with Archer’s bounce and length, resulting in easy catches for Phil Salt and Will Jacks.
Although Archer missed a potential third wicket when Moeen Ali dropped a low catch at slip, Oman’s struggles continued unabated.
Wood took over for the final over of the powerplay and immediately made an impact. He dismissed Zeeshan Maqsood with a caught and bowled off his very first ball and soon after, Kashyap Prajapati was out, unable to handle Wood’s pace, sending a catch to mid-wicket.
With Oman reeling at 25 for four, England showed no signs of letting up. Rashid’s precision leg-spin only worsened Oman’s plight. His first ball slipped past Khalid Kail’s sweep, leading to a stumping by Buttler, and then Mehran Khan provided Moeen with an effortless catch at slip.
Between these dismissals, Ayaan Khan fell victim to Wood’s speed, dragging a delivery onto his stumps. Rashid continued his onslaught by deceiving the tail enders with his wrong ‘uns, sending the bails flying on two more occasions.
Oman narrowly avoided the tournament's lowest score of 39, recorded by Uganda earlier in the month, but their innings concluded shortly after. Shoaib Khan was the last to fall, top-edging an Archer delivery into Buttler’s gloves, setting up an easy chase for England.