World Twenty20 debutants Oman stunned Ireland by two wickets on Wednesday and Zimbabwe took a step closer to the main draw after ending Scotland’s hopes yesterday, while Bangladesh face scrutiny over two bowlers.
In a thrilling last-over finish on Wednesday, lower-order batsman Aamer Ali scored a 32-run blitz to get Oman over the line with two deliveries to spare.
Openers Zeeshan Maqsood and Khawal Ali provided a 69-run opening stand for Oman only to see the middle-order give it away with the side reeling at 90-5 after 14 overs.
Photo: AP
Aamer, who hit five fours and a six in his 17-ball stay, then stitched a crucial sixth-wicket stand with Jatinder Singh as Ireland medium-pacer Max Sorensen failed to stop 14 runs from the last over.
It was indeed a great achievement for the Sultan Ahmed-led side.
“We were trying to get boundaries every over. We have done a lot of hard work before coming to the World Cup and finally it has paid off,” Ali told cricinfo.com through a translator.
Earlier on Wednesday, Bangladesh secured a narrow win against a spirited Netherlands.
However, bowling duo Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed were reported for suspect bowling actions, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.
Off-spinner Sunny bowled two overs and fast bowler Ahmed four during the game, with neither taking a wicket.
“The ICC is working with the Bangladesh cricket team management to confirm times for the independent testing of both bowlers at the ICC-accredited testing center in Chennai,” the governing body said in a media release.
Both players can play until the results of the tests are known.
In the first game yesterday, Zimbabwe won their second game to put them in prime position to advance to the main draw. Their 147/7 — with Sean Williams’ 53 from 36 the top score of the game — was good enough for an 11-run win over Scotland, who cannot advance, despite having a game to play.
Afghanistan began their game against Hong Kong in the late game just after press time last night.
Additional reporting by staff writer and Reuters
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