The seventh match of ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 at the Harare Sports Club witnessed an exciting encounter between Oman and West Indies in the Super Sixes round. West Indies emerged victorious in the contest by seven wickets.
Asked to bat first, Oman started their innings steadily, with opener Kashyap Prajapati contributing 31 runs off 45 balls. However, Jatinder Singh and Aqib Ilyas went back to the pavilion cheaply and could manage to score just 8 and 1 runs, respectively. Ayaan Khan (30) and Mohammad Nadeem (20) tried to stabilize the innings, but it was Shoaib Khan‘s half-century that provided a much-needed boost. Shoaib’s impressive knock of 50 runs off 54 balls guided Oman to a respectable total of 221/9 in their allotted 50 overs. Suraj Kumar also played a vital role, scoring 53 runs off 65 balls, which included five fours and one six.
West Indies bowlers put up a commendable effort to restrict Oman batters. Romario Shepherd was the pick of the bowlers for the Caribbean side and claimed three wickets for 44 runs in his quota of ten overs. Kyle Mayers also made a significant impact and bagged two scalps for 31 runs.
Chasing a target of 222, West Indies got off to a cautious start. Although the Men in Maroon lost Johnson Charles (4) with just seven runs on the board, Brandon King batted brilliantly and hammered a blistering ton to keep his team alive in the game. King smashed impressive 100 runs off 104 deliveries comprising fifteen boundaries. The opening batter was well supported by Windies skipper Shai Hope who played a decent knock of 63 runs and guided his team to a seven-wicket victory.
In the bowling department, Kaleemullah and Bilal Khan were the only wicket-takers for Oman, as no other bowler could manage to leave an impact in the contest. Meanwhile, King was adjudged ‘Player of the Match’ for his sensational century knock.
