“Difficult To Face 150 KPH Bowlers Once A Year”: Oman Captain Aqib Ilyas After England Loss

Oman skipper Aqib Ilyas said that they failed to bat well against England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Oman conceded an eight-wicket defeat against England in the T20 World Cup 2024 match. Speaking after the match, Aqib said that the top order failed to score runs throughout the T20 World Cup 2024. He added that the batters faced difficulty while facing bowlers bowling at 150 . “We couldn’t do well with the bat. Top order couldn’t score runs throughout the tournament. It was good exposure but there wasn’t much we could do. With no runs on the board, the bowlers didn’t have a chance. We’re used to playing bowlers that bowl in the 130-140kph range in associate cricket. So it’s difficult when once in a year you play against bowlers bowling 150, there is something in your mind. It’s a different thing when you’re used to playing such bowlers,” Aqib said.

He further added that the batters were under pressure against England since they have not got runs in their last few matches. The Oman skipper said that one cannot blame the bowlers for the loss.

“The batters were also under pressure having not got runs in the last few games. Unfortunately bad shot selection and they bowled in good areas. You can’t blame the bowlers for anything, throughout the tournament they’re the ones that did really well. Would have liked to finish on a great note,” he added.

Recapping the match, after winning the toss England sent Oman to bat first. Pratik Athavale (5 runs from 3 balls, 1 four) and Kashyap Prajapati (9 runs from 16 balls, 1 six) opened for Oman and could only make a six-run partnership after star pacer Jofra Archer made the first breakthrough of the match as he removed Athavale from the crease.

Shoaib Khan (11 runs from 23 balls, 1 four) was the only standout batter after he scored the highest runs among his teammates and powered Oman to a total of 47 runs in the first inning. The Three Lions bowlers ended Oman’s inning by the end of the 14th over.

Adil Rashid led the England bowling attack after he bagged four wickets and gave 11 runs in his four-over spell at an economy rate of 2.80.

While chasing, the England openers did not take any pressure and displayed a stupendous performance on the crease. Philip Salt (12 runs from 3 balls, 2 sixes) and Jos Buttler (24* runs from 8 balls, 4 fours and 1 six) made a 12-run partnership after Bilal Khan made the first breakthrough of the match after he removed Salt in the third ball of the first over.

Jonny Bairstow (8* runs from 2 balls, 2 fours) and Buttler stayed unbeaten on the crease and helped the Three Lions win the match. England batters dominated during the run chase as they ended the game in just four overs.

Bilal Khan and Kaleemullah were the only wicket-takers for Oman in the game.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)