Oman did not find Papua New Guinea at home. The hosts won the opening match of the World Cup qualifiers against PNG on Sunday (October 18) without a wicket. Papua New Guinea, led by Asad Valla, batted in the first innings to give Nepal a target of 130 runs. But the hosts’ two openers Akib Elias and Jatindar Singh’s impeccable bat helped them set a winning record with 36 balls to spare without losing a wicket. Akib Elias was unbeaten on 50 off 43 balls and Jatinder Singh was unbeaten on 63 off 42 balls. Earlier in the day, PNG batted first and lost a wicket in a series of wickets.
The Papua New Guinea batsmen were practicing catching the opponent in the first World Cup. Five of the nine batsmen who were out in the entire innings have returned to the dressing room with catches. In the opening match of the World Cup, Papua New Guinea lost 2 wickets in a row. But then PNG turned around with the skill of team captain Asad Bhalla. Hosts Oman won the toss and elected to bowl first at Al Amarat Cricket Stadium. After two successes in a row, the hosts were proving that their decision was right. Fast bowler Bilal Khan brought a breakthrough in the first over of the innings. His victim was Tony Ura. In the next over, another PNG opener Lega Siyaka was dismissed by another Oman fast bowler Khalimullah. However, after losing two wickets, captain Asad is fighting well. He also scored the first half century of this year’s World Cup. However, he also returned to the dressing room after scoring 56 runs from 46 balls. After the good, no one could cross the double digit house. This is the first time Papua New Guinea has played in the World Cup. On the other hand, Oman also got a chance in the first round of the 2018 edition. However, PNG is three steps ahead of Oman in the T20 rankings. Oman is co-hosting the World Cup with the United Arab Emirates after the event was canceled due to Corona. However, India is the host. This is the first World Cup to be held in the history of the ICC, which is not hosted by any Test playing country. Although 16 teams took part in this year’s T20 edition, the eight teams lagging behind in the rankings will play in the qualifying round. A total of four teams from each of the two groups will get tickets to play in the main round. In addition, the top eight teams in the rankings will play directly in the Super Twelve. After the qualifying round on October 22, the fierce battle of Super Twelve will start on October 23. There are also two groups in this episode of 12 teams. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. The final is on November 14 in Dubai.
