Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Muscat: Oman, who qualified for the ICC World Cricket League Division 4, failed to put the icing on the cake when they came up short against hosts Jersey in the final of the WCL Division 5 competition on Saturday.
In the summit clash, hitherto unbeaten Oman were done in by sensible batting from Anthony Hawkins-Kay and fine bowling performances by Ben Kynman and Nat Watkins as Jersey recorded a 44-run victory to avenge their group stage loss to the Sultanate squad and with that take the top honours.
The teams will renew their rivalry when they travel to the United States later this year to take part in the Division 4 competition.
Oman, oozing with confidence after the unbeaten run in the league stage, began their chase of 195-run target set Jersey by aggressively with swashbuckling opener Zeeshan Maqsood showing his full array of strokes.
The hard-hitting opener smashed a six off the very first ball -- third delivery of Oman innings -- he faced and then continued to attack as Oman reached 21 without loss in three overs.
In the fourth over, bowled by Anthony Hakwing-Kay, Zeeshan scored three fours. But the Jersey bowler had the last laugh as he caught and bowled the Oman batsman off the last delivery of the over. In his whirlwind knock of 22-ball 43, Zeeshan hit six fours and two sixes.
Fellow opener Khawar Ali (2) soon followed him to the pavilion as he was caught by Jake Dunford off Ben Kynman.
Kynman went on to dismiss Vaibhav Wategaonkar (6) and Jatinder Singh (8) to reduce Oman to 67 for four.
Reliable Aamir Kaleem contributed just four runs before he was dismissed by Charles Perchard. When captain Ajay Lalcheta (6) too departed in the 29th over with the scoreboard reading 93 for six.
Then wicketkeeper Swapnil Khadye and Noorul Riaz put on 42 runs for the seventh wicket in 10.3 overs. But once Swapnil (24) and Noorul (29) departed in the 39th and 42nd overs respectively, it was all over for Oman as they folded up for 150 in 45.3 overs.
While Kynman accounted for four of Oman’s wickets, Nat Watkins claimed two wickets.
Earlier, after being asked by Oman captain Ajay Lalcheta to bat first, Jersey adopted a cautious approach. As a result, in the first ten overs Oman failed to break the slow but resolute opening partnership of Peter Gough and Nat Watkins.
But in the 11th over, pacer Rajesh Ranpura removed Gough (37 off 17 balls) with the total reading 37.
Then in a space of seven runs, Oman struck twice. First Sufyan Mehmood had Ben Stevens (1) caught behind by Swapnil Khadye and then Ranpura claimed his second when he had Wakins (15) caught by Vaibhav Wategaonkar.
Ranpura, who bowled his quota of ten overs at a stretch, removed Jonty Jenner (13), caught by Swapnil, to leave Jersey reeling at 51 for four.
Then Cornelis Bodenstein (15) and Anthony Hawkins-Kay put Jersey on the path of recovery. After the departure of Bodenstein, caught behind off Ajay Lalcheta, Hawkins-Kay combined well with Corey Bisson to take the score to respectability.
When Aamir Kaleem removed Bisson (35) in the 47th over, Jersey were 168 for six. Then Lalcheta sent back Charles Perchard (7) to make it 182 for seven.
But Hawkins-Kay, with Ben Kynmann (7) giving him company, took the total to 194 for seven in 50 overs, which in the end proved too good for Oman to surpass. Hawkins-Kay’s unbeaten 60 off 82 balls included just two fours but he scored ten runs in the last over the innings bowled by Munis Ansari.
SCOREBOARD
JERSEY
P. Gough b R. Ranpura 17
NAT Watkins c V. Wategaonkar b R. Ranpura 15
B. Stevens c S. Khadye b Sufyan Mehmood 1
J. Jenner c S. Khadye b R. Ranpura 13
C. Bodenstein c S. Khadye b A. Lalcheta 15
A. Hawkins-Kay not out 60
C. Bisson c R. Ranpura b Aamir Kaleem 35
C. Perchard b A. Lalcheta 7
B. Kynman not out 8
Extras (lb-7, w-14, nb-2) 23
Total (7 wkts; 50 overs) 194
Did not bat: J.E. Dunford, R. McBey
Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-38, 3-40, 4-51, 5-97, 6-168, 7-182.
Bowling: R. Ranpura 10-0-21-3 (w-1); M. Ansari 10-1-51-0 (nb-1, w-4); Sufyan Mehmood 8-1-21-1 (w-3); Aamir Kaleem 7-0-35-1 (nb-1, w-3); A. Lalcheta 10-0-37-2 (w-1); Zeeshan Maqsood 5-0-22-0.
OMAN
Khawar Ali c Dunford b Kynman 2
Zeeshan Maqsood c&b Hawkins-Kay 43
V. Wategaonkar lbw Kynman 6
Jatinder Singh c Dunford b Kynman 8
Noorul Riaz c Jenner b Watkins 29
Aamir Kaleem c Gough b Perchard 4
Ajay Lalcheta c Dunford b McBey 6
Swapnil Khadye c&b Stevens 24
Rajesh Ranpura b Kynman 9
Sufyan Mehmood (not out) 4
Munis Ansari c Perchard b Watkins 0
Extras (lb-6, w-9) 15
Total (all out; 45.3 overs) 150
Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-47, 3-59, 4-67, 5-76, 6-88, 7-130, 8-138, 9-147.
Bowling: A. Hawkins-Kay 9-0-43-1 (w-1); R. McBey 3-0-25-1 (w-2); B. Kynman 8-4-10-4 (w-4); C. Perchard 10-3-14-1; B. Stevens 9-0-30-1 (w-1); JW Jenner 1-0-3-0; NAT Watkins 5.3-0-19-2 (w-1).
