(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Batting remains a concern for Oman coach Duleep Mendis despite his boys posting the third successive win in the ICC World Cricket League Division (WCL) Three on Tuesday.
The Oman bowlers continued their impressive show in the tournament as they bowled out Denmark for paltry 154 in 41.4 overs. However, their good work was almost negated by the batsmen as they struggled to chase a modest target, finally achieving the win in 47.2 overs with just three wickets in hand.
And had it not been for a responsible knock from Jatinder Singh, who made a sedate 73 off 105 balls, the hosts would have been in a big trouble, as it was struggling at 73 for four at one stage. Even after Jatinder's exit in the 43rd over and with just ten runs needed to win, Oman still found it tough as it took another 23 balls to complete the scrappy win.
Notwithstanding the win, the team's batting efforts clearly did not please coach Mendis.
Speaking after the match, the former Sri Lankan great said, 'It is good to win three matches in a row but the way we have been winning is a matter of concern.
'I want my boys to win in a more convincing manner.'
'The bowling has been good so far for us but the batsmen have not been up to the mark,' he added.
Oman next faces a strong US side on Friday, a match that could possibly decide the top two sides in the tournament.
Mendis said that 'despite the unconvincing manner, wins will give his boys a lot of confidence ahead of the remaining two games against US (November 16) and Uganda (November 18)'.
On the pitch, Oman's medium-pacer Bilal Khan was again menacing as he took three for 36 while off-spinner Jay
Odedra provided a good back-up to pick three for 30 to restrict Denmark to 154.
Denmark faltered at the start and was tottering at 38 for four and soon slumped to 59 for five. Saif Ahmed's 41 and Anique
Uddin's 31 took it out of woods as the team reached 123 by 35th over. Anique's departure led to another collapse and Ahmad's exit at 134 saw the team just about cross 150-mark, thanks to a couple of lusty hits from Nicolaj Laegsgaard's (16).
With the net run-rate (NRR) possibly coming to play on the final day, Oman was expected to boost its NRR after restricting its rival to a below-par score by chasing down the target in less overs. However, two early blows with exits of Aqib Ilyas and Sufyan Mehmood, who was drafted in for the first time in the tournament, had Oman on the backfoot (24 for two in ten overs).
And ten overs later, skipper Zeeshan Maqsood (17) was the first of the two victims of Bashir Shah (2-29) with wicketkeeper Suraj Kumar (12) also making his way back to the pavilion soon to have Oman in a spot of bother at 73 for four in 24th over.
Jatinder and Mehran Khan (14) staged a minor recovery with 29-run stand followed by another 26-run partnership involving Jatinder and Fayyaz Butt (14). And when Ahmad clean bowled Jatinder Oman still needed ten runs. Experienced Khawar Ali and Odedra managed to guide the hosts home without further damage.
Brief scores: Denmark 154 in 41.4 overs (Ahmad 41, Anique Uddin 31; Khan 3-36, Odedra 3-30, Maqsood 1-39, Kaleemullah 1-21) lost to Oman 155-7 in 47.2 overs (Jatinder 73; Ahmad 2-32, Shah 2-29).
First win for Kenya
At the adjoining ground in Amerat, Kenya tasted its first success in the tournament with a six-wicket win over Uganda.
Chasing 178 to win, after Uganda, elected to bat and posted 177 for nine in its 50 overs, Kenya rode on unbeaten half-centuries from Irfan Karim (59 n.o.) and Nelson Odhiambo (53 n.o) to win by six wickets reaching 178 for four in 45.5 overs. Earlier, Uganda huffed and puffed to reach a challenging score, thanks to Dinesh Nakrani's 50 off 71 balls.
Brief scores: Uganda 177-9 in 50 overs (Nakrani 50, Charles Waiswa 22; Sachin Bhudia 2-12, Shem Ngoche 2-13) lost to Kenya 178-4 in 45.5 overs (Karim 59 n.o., Nelson Odhiambo 53 n.o.; Frank Nsubuga 2-28).
Wednesday is a rest day. On Thursday, US takes on Denmark and Singapore meets Uganda
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