ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Papua New Guinea face Oman in qualifying round opener

Oman will face Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the first match of the qualifying round of the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup 2021 at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket on Sunday. 

The game will be an important one for both teams as they will be eager to begin their campaign with a good result. 

The home team will definitely have an advantage of playing in the familiar conditions but they will be vary of the visitors who have the ability to spring a surprise any given day. 

Both teams have never played in the history of T20 cricket and therefore, the contest will be a historic one. 

So far, 30 T20Is have been played at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket where team batting second have a clear advantage as they went on to win on 19 occasion whereas the team batting first won 11 times. 

Oman Team News

Oman will be coming in the qualifying round believing that they have a great chance of securing a spot in the Super 12s, largely because they will be playing all three matches at the venue where they usually play their cricket. 

In the last two years, Oman’s performance in the 20-over format has been par at best where they won on seven occasions and suffered five defeats in 12 outings. 

However, the players will be confident about producing a positive result in the qualifying phase of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 because of their impressive record at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket, where they won six times in nine outings. 

In the batting department, the home team will be heavily relying on the likes of captain Zeeshan Maqsood, opener Aqib Ilyas, Jatinder Singh, Khawar Ali, wicketkeeper Naseem Khushi and all-rounders Mohammad Nadeem, Sandeep Goud to score bulk of the runs and give the bowlers something to bowl with. 

On the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Sufyan Mehmood, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Bilal Khan along with the spin trio of Ayaan Khan, Nestor Dhamba and Ilyas to produce timely breakthroughs. 

Papua New Guinea Team News

Papua New Guinea will be coming in the Sunday’s contest as an underdog, largely because they will be playing against a team quite familiar with the conditions. 

Over the last two years, the team managed to win six matches in 10 outings which included four defeats as well. 

In the batting department PNG will be heavily relying on the likes of captain Assad Vala, middle-order batters Sese Bau, Hiri Hiri, openers Lega Siaka, Tony Ura and wicketkeeper Kiplin Doriga to score bulk of the runs and put the opposition under pressure. 

On the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Nosaina Pokana, Kabua Morea, Damien Ravu, Chad Soper, Norman Vanua along with the spinners Charles Amini, Vala, Hiri and Jason Kila to dismantle the opposition’s batting lineup. 

Odds by Casumo

According to the Casumo sportsbook, Bangladesh will be favorites to win the second game of the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup played at Al-Amerat Cricket Ground. For this second game, Scotland are placed at 4.20 odds, while Bangladesh placed at 1.18 odds

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Our Tipster Angle

On paper, Oman seems to have an edge over their rivals, especially because they will be playing at home where they have an impressive record as well. 

Therefore, the prediction is for the hosts to start their qualifying round with a win on Sunday. 

Tip 1- Jatinder Singh to continue this excellent form for Oman

Opener Jatinder Singh has been a bankable performer for Oman at the top of the innings. In the T20 format, Jatinder Singh has accumulated 365 runs at an average of 40.55 with two half-centuries to his name. so we can expect opener Jatinder Singh scored 25 runs or more against Papua New [email protected]

Tip 2- Assad Vala to carry the batting hopes for Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea Skipper has been a consistent performer with the bat in the T20 format. In 10 matches played, Assad Vala has accumulated 253 runs at an average of 28.11 with two fifties to his name. so we can expect Assad Vala to score 20 runs or more against [email protected]

Conclusion

Expect Oman to register a comfortable win over Papua New Guinea in the opening game of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

1. Opener Jatinder Singh scored 25 runs or more against Papua New Guinea- [email protected]
2. Assad Vala to score 20 runs or more against Oman- Papua New Guinea @3.00

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