Oman finish opening round of Cricket World Cup League 2 on a high
Ilyas retuned 1/6 from his three overs and later, top-scored for his side with a match-winning 76-ball 63 which featured six fours. Jay Odedra was Oman's star bowler, finishing with 4/34. With the victory – their third out of four games – Oman finished with six points on the standings table only behind Scotland, who finished with a better net run-rate.
Sent in to bat, PNG got off to a steady start with their openers Tony Ura and Gaudi Toka adding 48 runs inside the first eight overs. Paceman Bilal Khan broke their partnership as he had Toka clean bowled for 23. Four overs later Toka's partner Ura also fell, becoming Bilal's second victim.
A very tough week here in Scotland but always a learning experience playing in different and tough conditions. Well bowled @NosPee43 this series and looking forward to the next tour in @usacricket. #pngbarras pic.twitter.com/6wyLTB3hxe
— Charles Jordan Amini (@CJAmini) August 21, 2019
Ura, who was dismissed for 34, and Hiri Hiri, the No.9, were the only two batters to score in the thirties. Hiri remained unbeaten on 31 while skipper Assad Vala (20), Kiplin Doriga (24) and Chad Soper (29), after getting good starts, all fell prey to Odedra's spin bowling.
Throughout their innings, PNG lost wickets regularly, which hampered the flow of runs. They could only post 206/9 from their 50 overs.
Fifties from Kyle Coetzer and Richie Berrington powered Scotland to a 38-run win over Papua New Guinea in their last game of the opening round of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2.
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) August 21, 2019
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In response, Oman lost an early wicket with their opener, Jatinder Singh, falling cheaply for just 6. Khawar Ali and Ilyas then forged a match-defining stand of 98 before Charles Amini snared the crucial scalp of Ilyas. Three overs later, skipper Zeeshan Maqsood fell to Hiri for just 4 and after two more balls, Khawar was dismissed for 32.
In the end, Mohammad Nadeem (29*) and Suraj Kumar (35*) shared an important unbeaten 71-run, taking Oman across the line in the 48th over with 14 balls remaining.
PNG finished the opening round of the CWCL 2 winless in four games.