That’s it from me and from Australia at this World Cup. They were imperious today but when it really mattered they couldn’t quite get themselves going, losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka left them way off the pace and the rain washed away any remote they had when Ireland and Zimbabwe couldn’t get on the park. Mitch Marsh’s side head home without making the Super 8s with plenty to ponder.
We’ll be back to OBO the latter stages of the tournament, it’s been a belter so far. Thanks for your company. Toodle-oo.
The Captains Speak:
Mitchell Marsh - Australia captain:
It’s a missed opportunity. As I have said multiple times, it is a bitterly disappointed changing room. We did not play our best in the couple of games we needed to. That is tournament play. You lose to Zimbabwe and you are under pressure. Good luck to them. The wickets we have played on have not spun. We thought we had the guys to do the job. This wicket, last two wickets, were beautiful but we could not get the job done when it mattered. We will look at it as players and as a team. When you fail, there are always great learnings. Could not be more disappointed. We go home, reflect on it and then move on.”
Jatinder Singh – Oman captain:
It is a proud moment for all of us that we got a chance. The result and the journey, it did not go our way. We will reflect on the preparation, it was not quite up to the mark. We could not get the full members’ support, we wanted to play competitive cricket but could only play domestic cricket
We’re grateful for the journey, and I am sure everyone is proud of it. Now, everyone has experienced it, we know what ingredients are required for this stage. We have taken a lot of learnings from this stage and have taken a lot of positives, from the opposition as well. We are all grateful we got a chance to represent Oman and so glad we got tremendous support from the fans. With your support, we will definitely bounce back stronger.”
Adam Zampa is player of the match for his 4-21:
It has been a rough few days. There’s a few quiet voices and feeling pretty flat about the World Cup ending so soon. We built something around the brand of cricket we felt would work. Unfortunately, it did not work for us.
Looking back, we could have done more in the Sri Lanka game. My contribution to that game was not where I wanted it to be. My job is to take wickets through the middle. Unfortunately, we could not get it done when it mattered. Really disappointed, I am not yet ready to fly back home tomorrow.”
Updated
Australia win by 9 wickets (with 62 balls remaining)
There it is. Oman are battered by a bruised Australia. A swaggering display but in truth too little too late for the Aussies who will be wishing they showed this much clarity and clear headedness when it really counted earlier in the tournament.
Updated
9th over: Australia 93-0, Marsh 63, Inglis 3) Inglis joins the dominant Marsh. Australia just need seven to finish the job.
WICKET! Travis Head c & b Shakeel Ahmed 32 (Australia 93-1)
Cripes. That is one of the maddest caught and bowled’s I’ve ever seen. Head wipes a length ball up in the air, Shakeel hares after it and so does the keeper, they are shoulder to shoulder with neither backing down, Shakheel somehow grabs onto a rebound catch off his own chest while the keeper is sent sprawling to the turf. The catch is held and the bowler gives it the big one in celebration too. Remarkable. Fair to say the bowler wanted that one all to himself.
Updated
8th over: Australia 93-0, Marsh 61, Head 32) Odedra is taken for seven off his over. A success of sorts given the carnage. Australia need just 12 runs to win.
7th over: Australia 86-0, Marsh 60, Head 26) Head drives in the gap for four. Marsh has been so dominant that his partner has barely got a look in so far. A single into the leg side brings Marsh back on strike. SIX! Full toss from Shakeel is given the full works over midwicket. Brutal hitting.
6th over: Australia 73-0, Marsh 53, Head 20) Marsh pulls into the scoreboard for a gigantic, towering, ridiculous SIX! It’s clocked at 99 metres but looked bigger than that. Two more fours are collected, one on either side. Marsh looking imperious in Pallekele. Wasim Ali tosses another up and Marsh bunts over mid off with a minimum of fuss to go to his half century.
Updated
5th over: Australia 55-0, Marsh 35, Head 20) Shakeel whirls away left arm round the wicket, Marsh uses his strong levers to ploop over mid off for four. Head cuts off a length to the point boundary. One more over of the Powerplay to go, Australia will look to make it count, Oman are powerless to stop the runs at the moment.
Updated
4th over: Australia 46-0, Marsh 30, Head 16) Shafiq Jan changes ends and pays for Shakeel’s frugality. Head blasts him for two fours down the ground before Marsh sets about a length ball and marmalises it onto the grass bank for SIX. 16 runs off the over.
3rd over: Australia 30-0, Marsh 23, Head 7) Top over from Shakeel Ahmed. Australia can’t get him away and it is just two runs off the over, Marsh is absolutely champing at the bit but the spinner holds his nerve and gets out of the over unscathed.
2nd over: Australia 28-0, Marsh 22, Head 6) Off breaks from Jay Odedra, Marsh has a look before launching a huge SIX down the ground. A single brings Head on strike. He wastes no time in using his feet and bunting a four of his own. Australia off to a flier chasing
1st over: Australia 14-0, Marsh 12, Head 0) Shafiq Jan to open the bowling for Oman. He’s full, straight and pongoed through the covers by Marsh. The bowler overcorrects and tries a shorter ball, Marsh is on it in a flash and pulls to the midwicket fence. Marsh gets a third four off the over with a nudge outside off stump that squirts away to the boundary at third.
Righto, here come Mitch Marsh and Travis Head to make light work of this total. At least that is what Australia hope.
Oman bowled out for 104
Adam Zampa takes two wickets in as many balls to polish off Oman’s rather underwhelming innings! Shakeel Ahmed is well held down the ground by Xavier Bartlett before Shafiq Jan winds up a swipe to leg only to see Zampa’s googly crash into his stumps instead.
Zampa finishes with 4-21, Xavier Bartlett and Glenn Maxwell snare two wickets apiece. Australia got the job done with the ball, over to the batters.
Back soon for the chase.
Updated
16th over: Oman 104-8 (Shakeel 3, Odedra 4) Jay Odedra is the ninth man in, get him up the order! He deftly glides his first ball from Maxwell wide of the keeper for four runs.
WICKET! Wasim Ali b Maxwell 32 (Oman 100-8)
Two singles bring up Oman’s 100 but Maxwell then does for the anchor Wasim Ali, the arm ball holding its line and politely nudging the off bail out its housing.
15th over: Oman 89-7 (Ali 25, Shakeel 0) Zampa rattles through his third over, gets out of it for the cost of nine runs after conceding four down the ground off his first ball. Wasim Ali holding this innings for Oman at the moment.
Updated
14th over: Oman 89-7 (Ali 25, Shakeel 0) The players pause for a slurp of something luminous. Deep brown Yorkshire Gold here. After drinks, Maxwell dots up new batter Shakeel Ahmed.
WICKET! Jiten Ramanandi lbw b Maxwell 1 (Oman 89-7)
Ramanandi’s stay is a short one, he pads up to Maxwell and the ball was knocking out middle stump. A burned review only serves to confirm things.
13th over: Oman 81-5 (Ali 24, Ramanandi 1) Jiten Ramanandi prods a single to get off the mark. All eyes on Wasim Ali here, can he somehow haul his side up to a competitive target?
WICKET! Vinayak Shukla c Green b Stoinis 9 (Oman 86-6)
Stoinis returns, he’s pumped down the ground for four by Wasim Ali. A single brings Shukla on strike, he tries the big shot too but serves only to put it straight down Cam Green’s throat on the square leg boundary.
Updated
12th over: Oman 81-5 (Ali 18, Shukla 9) Glenn Maxwell into the attack with his spinning all sorts. No wicket but only six runs off the over, Oman struggling to get to a competitive total in Pallekele.
11th over: Oman 75-5 (Ali 16, Shukla 5) Tricksy and thrifty over from Ellis. Just two singles from it.
10th over: Oman 73-5 (Ali 15, Shukla 4) Zampa nearly gets two in two! New batter Shukla pokes outside off and the easy catch flies through the vacant slip region and away for four. We’re halfway through the overs and the wickets.
WICKET! Mohammad Nadeem lbw b Zampa 2 (Oman 69-5)
Zampa picks up his second! Nadeem goes down to sweep but misses a straight one. Australia can’t believe it isn’t given out on the field so send it upstairs. They were right to do so, plumski.
9th over: Oman 62-4 (Ali 9, Nadeem 1) Just three runs off the over, Wasim Ali is nearly caught by Cameron Green in his follow through and it would have been a magnificent grab but the third umpire deems it touched the floor. Green doesn’t look too upset, I think he though he might have grazed it along the turf in catching it too, in fact it could have just bounced on the way into his hand.
8th over: Oman 59-4 (Ali 7, Nadeem 0)
WICKET! Hammad Mirza b Zampa 16 (Oman 59-4)
Zampa into the attack and he strikes in his first over. Mirza doesn’t spot the quicker ball, goes back to pull and is skittled.
7th over: Oman 57-3 (Mirza 15, Ali 6) Ten off the over, Bartlett is too full looking for the swing, Mirza clips off his pads through midwicket for four and Ali follows up with a deft glance past Inglis for four more.
6th over: Oman 47-3 (Mirza 10, Ali 1) Green blots his copybook with his final ball after going for just two runs from five deliveries. The big fella hangs it outside off stump and Hammad Mirza throws his hands at it, middling away for SIX!
5th over: Oman 39-3 (Mirza 2, Ali 0 ) Southpaw Wasim Ali is the new man. Cameron Green is called upon to send down the last over of the Powerplay.
WICKET! Jatinder Singh b Bartlett 17 (Oman 39-3)
Bowled him! Oman’s captain is beaten for pace by Bartlett and it is the third time this evening the zing bails light up and fly through the sky.
Updated
4th over: Oman 33-2 (Jatinder 12, Mirza 2) Hammad Mirza joins his captain in the middle. Ellis loses his radar and gives away five wides with a loose delivery that Inglis can do nothing about. Australia have the conditions to do some real damage if they get the ball in the right areas.
WICKET! Karan Sonavale b Ellis 12 (Oman 24-2)
Sonavale tries to force off the back foot but chops on to his stumps. Australia have their second.
Updated
Nathan Ellis summoned and his first ball is bunted over mid on for four by Sonavale…
3rd over: Oman 20-1 (Jatinder 11, Sonavale 8) Bartlett drops short, Jatinder ricks back and carves over point for a one bounce four. Bartlett get some late swing but he wastes it by firing down the leg side. It hoops on Inglis the keeper rather than the batter.
2nd over: Oman 13-1 (Jatinder 6, Sonavale 7) Marcus Stoinis bustles in from the other end. Muscles bulging, chest wider than an American fridge. Bosh! Jatinder sends a length ball over cover for four. Three singles picked off either side of the wicket. Sonavale then attempts a wild heave that goes miles up but somehow lands safe and they scamper a couple.
1st over: Oman 4-1 (Jatinder 0, Sonavale 4) There some significant swing out there, the pitch has apparently been sweating under covers for a few hours but there’s also movement through the air too. Bartlett has it on a string! He beats Karan Sonavale three times in a row. The batter decides enough is enough, trots out of his crease and spanks through the covers for four.
DROP! A huge knick the next ball, Glenn Maxwell shells it in the slips! Such an easy chance, right in the bread basket – Maxwell cannot believe what he’s just done.
Phew, eventful first over. I’m somewhat regretting wolfing a lunchtime burger that was the size of a hubcap and the ensuing snoozy state it has put me in. Quick game’s a good game lads. Don’t tell the boss will you?
WICKET! Aamir Kaleem b Bartlett 0 (Oman 0-1)
Gone first ball! Bartlett sends down a hooping in-swinger, Kaleem’s feet are rooted in wet concrete, he wafts, misses and his stumps are splattered. The perfect start for the Aussies!
Updated
Right here go, Aamir Kaleem and Jatinder Singh are opening up for Oman. Xavier Bartlett with the ball for Australia. Play!
The players emerge for the anthems, the weather is set fair in Pallekele, a couple of days too late for the Aussies.
Oman’s captain Jatinder Singh says he would have chosen to bat first anyway, I always enjoy it when an opposition captain says that as it comes across a bit primary school but to be fair it does look a belter of a wicket and it’s also an unused one.
Australia haven’t won a game chasing in this World Cup. Hey, I’m just the messenger. I stay under glass.
TEAMS:
Oman: Jatinder Singh (capt), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Karan Sonavale, Wasim Ali, Mohammad Nadeem, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Shakeel Ahmed, Shafiq Jan, Jay Odedra
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa
No Steve Smith again for Australia. At least you can use the air miles one day Smudger…
Australia win the toss and choose to bowl first
Mitch Marsh gets the rub of the coin and opts to bowl first. Australia’s captain has the air of a scorned puppy, he says he understands the frustrations and accusations spilling forth back at home and his side have reflected on how to get better. Marsh says again that the Aussies are “really disappointed” at their showing in this tournament, that today is a World Cup game and a match for Australia. I have a feeling Oman might suffer at the hands of a scorned side today…
Preamble
Hello and welcome to a DEAD RUBBER. Involving Australia? You better believe it.
After being dumped out of the T20 World Cup in the Group stage and facing accusations about how seriously they approached this tournament, Mitch Marsh’s side will not want to add fuel to the fire by losing to Oman in Pallekele today.
The captains are out in the middle and the coin is being tossed, play begins at 1.30pm GMT/12.30am AEDT. Let’s get into it.
