Oman vs Scotland Prediction: Who will win today's T20 World Cup 2021 match?
Co-hosts Oman and high-flying Scotland will clash in the 10th match of the T20 World Cup 2021 at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 1) starting at 7:30 IST on Thursday. The all-important game will be a knockout of sorts, with as many as three Group B teams' hopes of qualifying for the Super-12 stage dependent on it.
Oman are coming off a grueling encounter against Bangladesh. Having restricted Mahmadullah and co. to 153 in the first innings, Oman's batters were cruising at 81-2 in the 12th over. But the pressure spoke, a collapse ensued and Oman stumbled to 127-9, falling short of a major upset by 26 runs.
Scotland, on the other hand, have been ruthless. They defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in their first match of the tournament and staved off a Papua New Guniea (PNG) fightback in the second to sit atop the points table. But as things stand, they are not yet guaranteed a spot in the Super 12 stage.
If Oman win today, they'll be through to the Super 12s and Scotland's fate will be decided on whether PNG defeat Bangladesh in the first game of the day. However, if Oman lose here and Bangladesh also lose, then the qualification will boil down to the net run rate (NRR).
T20 World Cup 2021: Contest between Oman's bowling and Scotland's batting to take center stage
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Oman's batters let them down against Bangladesh. Only opener Jatinder Singh has looked worth his penny against high-quality attacks in the tournament so far. Much will again depend on the India-born to take his team home. He'll seek support from his opening partner Aqib Ilyas, who scored a half-century in the first match, but failed in the second.
Other batters have almost consistently struggled in strike rotations. This builds pressure and prompts them to go for high-risk shots which generally end in the hands of the fielders. Oman's middle order of Kashyap Prajapati, skipper Zeeshan Maqsood, Ayaan Khan and Sandeep Goud needs to step up in the match.
The co-hosts' bowling, meanwhile, has simply been fantastic. Bilal Khan and Kaleemullah form a deadly new ball and death-overs pair. Add to them the guile and variations of Fayaaz Butt and the pace department looks well rounded up. Spinners weren't too useful against Bangladesh for obvious reasons, but they will have a bigger role to play in this match.
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Scotland are on the other end of the spectrum. Their openers haven't had much to show so far, but their middle and lower order players have assumed responsibility in crunch situations.
Veteran skipper Kyle Coetzer, one-half of the opening pair, has looked the most at sea. But if Scotland coach Shane Burger's words are to be believed, he is batting "unbelievably well" in the nets and might be up for a big score.
In either case, last match's star performers with the bat, wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Cross and Richie Berrington, will have to be prepared to do the job once again at no.3 and no.4 respectively.
Scotland's tournament was saved almost singlehandedly by Josh Davey, who took a magnificent four-fer against PNG. The right-arm pacer is a brilliant new ball operator, but his main value comes at the death. He'll be a key weapon for the Scots against Oman's fidgety middle order. Others in the bowling attack have been decent, but they will look to be more economical in today's match.
That said, the battle of Davey, alongside his partner Bradley Wheal against Oman's openers Singh and Ilyas, could also be a match-defining one.
Scotland undoubtedly look the stronger side on paper. They also have brilliant form at their disposal. Oman do have home advantage, but their opponents are well acclimatized to the conditions too. There might be little to separate the two teams on the field today, but Scotland's overall system looks more capable of taking them to the next round.
Prediction: Scotland to win match 10 of T20 World Cup 2021