The path to the T20 World Cup for Oman was marked by dominance and precision. In the semi-finals, Oman faced Bahrain and left no room for doubt in their victory. Aqib Ilyas emerged as the star of the day, taking a four-wicket haul while conceding just ten runs. His exceptional performance restricted Bahrain to a modest total of 106 for 9.
Oman’s openers, Kashyap Prajapati and Pratik Athavale, displayed remarkable composure as they chased the target without fuss, finishing the job with nearly six overs to spare. Their ten-wicket victory sent a strong message of Oman’s T20 prowess.
On the other side of the semi-finals, Nepal faced UAE in a challenging encounter. UAE’s strong start, racing to 29 without loss in three overs, indicated a tough contest. However, Nepal’s spinners, Kushal Malla and Sandeep Lamichhane, combined to put up a frugal spell, ultimately limiting UAE to a score of 134 for 9.
Vriitya Aravind’s half-century was a notable contribution, but he found little support from the UAE innings. Nepal’s opener, Aasif Sheikh, played a pivotal role with an unbeaten 63, steering his team to victory.
With their respective victories, Nepal and Oman have secured their spots in the 2024 T20 World Cup. This highly anticipated tournament will be hosted across the West Indies and the USA. With these additions, a total of 18 teams have finalized their spots. The remaining two spots for the tournament will be determined at the Africa qualifier, scheduled to conclude at the end of the month.
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While the West Indies and the USA enjoy automatic berths as hosts, the top eight teams from the 2022 competition edition have already secured their places. Afghanistan and Bangladesh, as the next highest-ranked teams in the format, sealed their berths. Ireland and Scotland emerged from the Europe region qualifiers, while Papua New Guinea made it from the East Asia-Pacific region, and Canada secured their spot from the Americas region.
For Nepal, this journey marks their second appearance in the T20 World Cup, a decade after their first qualification in 2014. The Nepali team has grown in strength and skill, and their return to the global stage is a testament to their perseverance and commitment to the sport.
