ICC Men's T20 WC'24: Canada, Namibia, Oman Clinch Victories in Warm-Up Matches
Ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, Canada, Oman, and Namibia secured victories in their warm-up matches, giving them a boost as they prepare for the upcoming tournament to be held in the USA and the Caribbean. Canada triumphed over Nepal by 63 runs at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas, Oman clinched a 3-wicket win against Papua New Guinea, and Namibia defeated Uganda by five wickets at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.
Electing to bat first, Canada rode on a half-century by Nicholas Kirton and a blazing unbeaten 41 off 17 balls as Canada posted 183/7 in 20 overs on Tuesday. Opener Navneet Dhaliwal gave them a decent start with 32 off 27 balls, hitting four boundaries while Kirton struck a 39-ball 52, studded with four boundaries and two sixes. Ravinderpal Singh hammered one four and four maximums as he contributed a vital 17-ball 41 to help Canada post a challenging total.
Nepal's innings came to a close at 120 runs in 19.3 overs, as Dilon Heyliger led Canada's bowling attack with figures of 4-20 in 2.3 overs. Jeremy Gordon and Saad Bin Zafar also made notable contributions, each taking 2 wickets for 25 runs. Kushal Malla top-scored for Nepal with a brisk 37 off 30 balls, supported by Aasif Sheikh and Anil Sah who contributed 22 and 24 runs respectively. Six Nepalese batsmen were dismissed having scored only single figures.
Electing to field first, Oman restricted Papua New Guinea (PNG) to 137/9 in 20 overs thanks to a three-fer by Aqib Ilyas (3-22) and 2-20 by Bilal Khan. Lega Siaka top-scored with 28 runs off 24 balls, hitting three boundaries. Chasing 138, Oman rode on a 42-ball 45 by Zeeshan Maqsood, who blasted four boundaries and one six, while Khalid Kail (27 off 26 balls) as they reached 141/7 in 19.1 overs. In another match played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, Uranda could manage only 134 in 20 overs despite a half-century by Roger Mukasa, who struck six boundaries and one six off 41 balls.
Robinson Obuya's aggressive knock of 38 runs from 27 deliveries, embellished with five boundaries and two sixes, fueled a 34-run partnership for the third wicket. Meanwhile, Namibia's chase was spearheaded by opener Nikolaas Davin, who blazed a 54 off just 34 balls, featuring three boundaries and five maximums. Davin's stellar performance was complemented by Jean-Pierre Kotze's steady 29 off 31 balls, as their 85-run partnership for the second wicket paved the way for Namibia's convincing victory.
