The third game of the ongoing T20 World Cup will be played between Oman and Namibia. The match will be played at Bridgetown, as both of the sides will kickstart their T20 World Cup campaign. Oman will be playing under the new captain Aqib Ilyas while Namibia will be relying on a seasoned campaigner David Wiese.
Team Overview:
Namibia:
Namibia will feature in their 3rd consecutive T20 World Cup and will be hoping to leave a positive and impactful mark. In 2021, they stunned the world by qualifying for the Super 12s and in 2022, they defeated Sri Lanka in the first round, although they fell short in terms of progressing further.
Namibia’s confidence will be high-flying as they dominated the Africa T20 World Cup qualifier, winning all of their games, effortlessly. They will try to kick start their campaign on a positive note. It is so they are placed in a group with Australia and England – a tough opponent than Namibia. So, in order to keep their next stage’s hope alive, they will have to go smart and hard from the word go.
Gerhard Erasmus’ men will be banking their hopes on a handy all-rounder, Wiese. Wiese has massive experience of playing T20 leagues, having participated in the IPL, The Hundred, PSL, and also MCL and CPL. So, if Namibia wants to win, they would want Wiese to perform.
And of course, the skipper himself will play a key role in his team’s victory. Erasmus has been a very economical off-spinner, having taken 8 wickets in his last ten games and has not conceded more than run a ball in any of those games.
Oman:
Likewise Namibia, Oman will also be making their third appearance in the T20 World Cup. They reached the ACC Premium Cup final, winning five consecutive games, although fell short to UAE in the final. Nevertheless, if anything, it tells about the hardwork and belief this nation is putting on their cricket.
Oman will be keeping high hopes from their new skipper, Aqib Ilyas who replaces the experienced Zeeshan Maqsood in the role. Apart from being a top-order batsman, the captain can also bowl spin. In the ACC Cup, he was the highest wicket-taker as he bagged 12 wickets in five matches at an economy of 6.22. Moreover, he showed great performance too when Namibia and Oman met in a series decider.
With the bowl, he took 2 for 21 and contributed equally amazing with the bat as he scored 29-ball 51.
Besides him, the 37-year-old pacer, Bilal Khan can play a crucial role as he had the economy rate of 4.45 from the three games in the 2021 T20 World Cup edition.
Pitch and weather report:
The Bridgetown surface is not a batting paradise and usually enjoyed by the off-spinners. In the 12 games played on this surface since 2022, the average 1st innings score has been 178.
And the team batting first has won 8 of these 12 encounters.
There is a 40% rain chance during the game. And even if the rain falls, it is likely to be a quick burst that clears up within half an hour.
Head-to-head:
Namibia and Oman have faced each other in 6 T20is so far, in which Namibia has led the chart by 4-2. The sides were recently involved in a five-match T20I series and Namibia won the series by 3-2.
Prediction:
It is going to be a good match since both Oman and Namibia have the ability to win this game. Namibia, however, will have the higher chance to win this encounter given the earlier series win over Oman and having a senior player in their side, the likes of David Wiese.
Where to watch:
Pakistan – PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Myco (Live streaming), Tamasha app (Live streaming), Tapmad (live streaming)
India – Star Sports
England – SkySport Network
USA and Canada (Willow TV)
Caribbean – ESPN Caribbean
New Zealand & Australia – Sky Sports NZ, Prime Video
UK & Northern Ireland – Sky Sports
Sri Lanka – Maharaja TV
Other regions – SuperSport, Sirasa, CricLife, STARZPLAY
