3 breathtaking catches by Oman players at the biggest stage ft. Aqib Ilyas
Oman are among the upcoming teams in the cricket world. They made history by qualifying for the T20 World Cup for the first time in 2016. They participated in the group stage and even defeated the experienced Ireland team in their first-ever game. Their match against Netherlands did not produce a result, while they lost to Bangladesh by 54 runs to crash out of the tournament.
Five years later, Oman co-hosted the T20 World Cup with UAE and participated in the first round again. This time, they started their campaign with a bang by crushing Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets. One more win could have taken them into the Super 12. However, the home team lost against Bangladesh and Scotland to finish third in the standings, missing out on the next round.
Oman didn't qualify for the T20 World Cup in 2022, but they are back this year. They pushed Namibia to the limit and played out a thrilling tie against them in their opening game, followed by an impressive performance against Australia.
Although the team from the Middle East has not been able to win the crunch moments, they have done a better job than most of the associate nations. One of the reasons behind their success is their fielding. Here's a list of three such occasions where the fielders of the Oman team stepped up and surprised the fans.
#1 Oman captain Aqib Ilyas takes a diving catch to dismiss Glenn Maxwell, T20 World Cup 2024
After losing against Namibia in the Super Over, the team from the Middle East locked horns with former champions Australia in a Group B match last night (June 5). Before the game, the team's skipper fired a warning to the Aussies, saying that his men could be a problem for them.
The associate nation started strongly as they had Australia down to 50/3 in the ninth over. The dangerous Glenn Maxwell got out for a golden duck while trying to play a shot towards the covers against Mehran Khan. The batter timed the ball well, but skipper Ilyas executed a perfect dive to take one of the best catches in T20 World Cup history.
#2 Zeeshan Maqsood announces Oman's arrival in world cricket
Eight years ago, the team from the Middle East made its debut on the grand stage against Ireland. Skipper William Porterfield and all-rounder Paul Stirling provided a decent start to the Irish side, adding 48 runs for the first wicket.
Stirling looked ready to switch gears with a lofted shot towards off-side against Aamir Khalem. However, Zeeshan Maqsood pulled off a one-handed screamer and sent him back to the dressing room.
#3 Khalid Kail keeps his nerve to dismiss Travis Head
Travis Head has established himself as one of the biggest game-changers with the bat. He could have single-handedly blown away the team from the Middle East last night had Khalid Kail not grabbed a fantastic catch to dismiss him.
Left-arm pacer Bilal Khan bowled a delivery outside off to Head. The Aussie opener read it well and tried to smash it over the off-side. However, the fielder Khalid executed his basics and took a top-quality catch to send Head back.