OMN vs SL Prediction: Who will win today's 2nd T20I match?
Oman and Sri Lanka will clash in the second T20I of the two-match T20I series at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 1), Al Amerat, on Saturday, October 9.
Sri Lanka started the two-match series with a few hiccups in the first T20I. However, some big hitting from Avishka Fernando and Dasun Shanaka in the latter stages of the innings helped them post a good total on the board.
Fernando’s unbeaten 59-ball 83-run knock was the highlight of the match. Shanaka, too, stole the limelight with his 24-ball 51-run unbeaten knock as he smacked the ball at a strike rate of 212.5. At one stage, Sri Lanka were reeling at 51/4. However, they went on to post 162/4 in 20 overs.
Among the bowlers, Lahiru Kumara enjoyed the conditions with a four-wicket haul. He broke Oman’s middle and lower-middle order with disciplined lines and lengths. Nuwan Pradeep’s 2/7 in a two-over spell was one of the highlights of the game as far as Lankan bowling is concerned. Oman could post only 143/8 in 20 overs, losing the game by 19 runs.
Oman were consistent in bits and pieces. They need to make use of the crucial moments and do well without losing the momentum. After picking up four wickets for 51 runs, Oman bowlers lost control of their lines and started leaking a lot of runs, which turned out to be a game-turning point.
Kaleemullah, Zeeshan Maqsood, and Khawar Ali looked exceptional with their miser spells. However, Fayyaz Butt and Mohammad Nadeem's expensive spells turned the game in the Lankans' favor.
On the batting front, Mohammad Nadeem's 32-run knock and Naseem Khushi’s 22-ball 40-run knock almost took the game to the end but they failed to cross the finish line.
The 19-run victory will remain a worrying sign for Sri Lanka with the T20 World Cup lined up in a few days as they have a lot of chinks in their armor.
Can Sri Lanka seal the series 2-0?
Sri Lanka would love to continue their winning momentum without making big changes to their XI. They are missing two of their premier bowlers, Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga.
However, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, and Chamika Karunaratne bowled exceptional spells and will look to repeat the same in the second T20I as well.
The Lankans need some momentum from their spin bowlers going into the T20 World Cup. Akila Dananjaya and Maheesh Theekshana failed to find proper lines and lengths in the first T20I and would love to bring their A-game to the second T20I.
Oman will gain a bit of experience from this T20I series going into the mega T20 event. Having disciplined bowling and mindful batting in initial and middle overs can help them do wonders going forward.
Prediction: Sri Lanka to win the match and clean sweep Oman 2-0