England vs Oman Highlights, T20 World Cup 2024: Buttler and Co chase 48 with 101 balls to spare for massive run-rate boost

So England now improve their NRR beyond Scotland's, so Scotland's only real chance is to beat Australia in the final match in this group. (England will play Namibia before that and weather permitting, they will improve that NRR further). 

England's Net Run Rate goes from -1.80 to +3.08. Win by 101 balls, NRR improvement 101.

England win with 101 balls to spare. Bairstow smashes a four to end a double-quick run-chase! Just what the doctor ordered for the defending champions. We will confirm what the NRR boost they got is shortly. It was -1.800 before this match.

Bilal to Buttler. First ball, charged down the track and hit past mid off for four. Third ball, short on hips and pushed behind square for four. Fourth ball, slower one, send over midwicket for four. Fifth ball, short again, smashes 89m by Buttler for a SIX! The England captain could win it with a six off the last ball but JUST gets four as he slices one over point. A 22-run over and Buttler does what England wanted him to. Smashed off nearly half the chase in on over! 

And Bairstow too wastes no time, rides the bounce well and cuts one over point for a first-ball four. England on track to chase this in fourth or fifth over. 

JACKS GONE: A four off a no ball by Jacks early in the 2nd over but Kaleemullah fights back well. The free hit is a dot ball and then he gets Jacks to play and miss at a couple of deliveries. Jacks goes for the big square cut again but that extra bounce on the pitch means he can only sky this to point. 

Will Jacks c Prajapati Kashyap b Kaleemullah 5 (7 balls)

The feisty Kaleemullah to bowl the 2nd over. 

Perhaps a few England fans going "Booo!" at their TV sets as Will Jacks plays a perfect defensive shot first ball. 14 runs from the first over and Buttler will now be on strike. 

Perhaps a few England fans going "Booo!" at their TV sets as Will Jacks plays a perfect defensive shot first ball. 14 runs from the first over and Buttler will now be on strike. 

Perhaps a few England fans going "Booo!" at their TV sets as Will Jacks plays a perfect defensive shot first ball. 14 runs from the first over and Buttler will now be on strike. 

Perhaps a few England fans going "Booo!" at their TV sets as Will Jacks plays a perfect defensive shot first ball. 14 runs from the first over and Buttler will now be on strike. 

TWO SIXES, AND OUT: Salt starts off with two sixes in two balls, both over extra cover. Bilal pulls his length back and Salt drags it on to the stumps. Right idea from Salt, didn't get the execution right there. 

And there it is... first ball from Bilal, and Salt is not taking any time. Clears his front foot and smashes one over extra cover for six. 

Jos Buttler and Phil Salt in the middle. They have to go all guns blazing. Oman's strength is disciplined bowling, but can they do any damage here? Bilal Khan will start. 

According to ESPNCricinfo, England will pass Scotland's NRR if they chase this in 5.2 overs. Surely they would like to do it quicker? Remember, number of wickets lost plays no part in NRR calculations. England really should look to go hell for leather. 

Shoaib Khan is the only batter who made it to double figures. Adil Rashid with four wickets, three each for Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. Absolutely clinical from England. "We trained really well last week, showed good resilience, pleased for the whole group. Good bounce, a bit tennis-bally, we just got our lengths right," says Wood at the mid-match chat. 

OMAN ALL OUT: Oh man, that wasn't good to watch if you are a Oman fan. Archer comes back into the attack, fires in a bouncer and Shoaib Khan (who batted more than 20 balls). The top edge is taken by Buttler. 

Shoaib Khan c Jos Buttler b Jofra Archer 11 (23 balls)

No five-for for Rashid as he finishes with 4/11 in 4 overs. Oman just didn't pick him at all. 

FOUR-FOR RASHID: This is another fabulous googly that would trouble at least a good percentage of proper batters. Kaleemullah stands no chance once he doesn't pick it. Rashid has four wickets, with one ball left in his spell. 

Kaleemullah b Adil Rashid 5 (5 balls)

The lowest total in the tournament history is 39 (when bowled out). Oman gets past that ignominious mark in the 12th over. A four for Kaleemullah, the man with all sorts of emotional range. A 9-RUN OVER! Would you believe it? 

RASHID HAS HIS THIRD: One googly turns too much and bounces too much but Rashid gets it spot on next ball. No ifs and buts there as Fayyaz is bowled. 

Fayyaz Butt b Adil Rashid 2 (7 balls)

Will England be tempted to bring in their 5th bowler here? Or stick to the 4 main bowlers and try to wrap this up quickly? For now Adil Rashid continues. 

Not sure about the Oman batters, but our fingers need a break! Wicket after wicket in the first 10 overs as players take a drinks break. Oman are in all sorts of trouble. 

PROCESSION CONTINUES: Rashid gets one to turn sharply again and this time Mooen makes no mistake in first slip. Mehran, who can be handy with the bat, falls for a duck. 

Mehran Khan c Moeen Ali b Adil Rashid 0 (2 balls)

WOOD HAS THREE: A change of angle to the left-handed Ayaan Khan and it is once again Mark Wood's pace that does the damage. Ayaan drags one back onto his stumps. 

Ayaan Khan b Mark Wood 1 (5 balls)

Shoaib Khan brings some respite to Oman with a square cut behind point for four. 

STUMPED: Oh dear, not good cricket from Khalid Kail. He's beaten by Adil Rashid's turn, but has dragge his backfoot out, doesn't do enough to get it back in. Buttler actually misses a go at removing the bails but takes it off. 

Khalid Kail st Jos Buttler b Adil Rashid 1 (3 balls)

WOOD HAS TWO IN AN OVER: It's a procession in Antigua now. Mark Wood's pace is too much to handle. Banged into the pitch, the opener pulls and caught at midwicket. 

Kashyap Prajapati c Liam Livingstone b Mark Wood 9 (16 balls)

WOOD STRIKES: First ball wicket for the pacer. Good length ball at pace but it seems to stop on Zeeshan, who checks his shot and lobs a simple catch back to the bowler. 

Zeeshan Maqsood c & b Mark Wood 1 (5 balls)

Topley gets a third over in the powerplay. Recall Shane Watson saying once that it is never a great idea irrespective of how well one is bowling. It helps the batters line up the bowler much better. And Prajapati does just that, going over point for a slice six. 

DROPPED! Archer should have had his third wicket. It's a fuller ball to the left-handed Zeeshan, gets the outside edge, but Moeen Ali puts down a fairly simple chance at first slip. (No easy slip catches perhaps but that's as easy as they come). Archer goes down on his knees in disbelief. 

AQIB FALLS: Archer has his 2nd wicket. Short of length outside of off stump again, this time the Oman captain cuts it behind square. Jacks takes a good low catch at gully. Umpires send it upstairs but it is a clean catch. Replay shows extra bounce. 

Aqib Ilyas c Will Jacks b Jofra Archer 8 (10 balls)

A couple of swanky shots attempted by the Oman batters in that Topley over, going across the stumps and trying to nullify the angle. But no real connection though. Just 3 singles off that over. 

Captain Aqib is the new batter in and gets going with a good-looking punch through the offside. At Archer's pace, if there is width and no movement, it's a safe shot. Topley will continue for the third over. 

FOUR AND OUT! Archer gets charged down the pitch by Athavale, who drives one past mid off for four. Next ball, though, a soft dismissal. Short ball, Athavale drives on the up to the fielder at cover. No big celebrations from the English. 

Pratik Athavale c Phil Salt b Jofra Archer 5 (3 balls)

Solid start from Topley but not the kind of movement perhaps England would have expected from their lead pacer, with the breeze and all. Just tidy lines and lengths across the line to the two right handers. 

Here we go then in Antigua, the third match of the tournament in this venue. Oman lost heavily against Scotland after batting first, Namibia lost heavily against Austaralia after batting first. Perhaps that is what England are hoping for. 

The players are in the middle. There is a breeze across the ground that Buttler said he hopes will help Topley, who comes into the XI. He will start with the new ball. Athavale and Prajapati are in the middle. 

England could find themselves in trouble if they are unable to take some early Oman wickets. If Oman somehow manage to post a par total, England's job of improving their NRR is going to take a hit. Must say, a strange call that to not bat first. 

England are winless in their four prior men’s T20I matches against associate nations (L2 NR2); the list includes two losses against the Netherlands, and one no result against Ireland (in 2010) and Scotland (in 2024) apiece.

(Via ICC Online Media Zone, Opta)

- This will be the first ever international game between England and Oman; England have lost eight of the last 11 times they completed a men’s T20I game against an opponent for the first time (W3), losing their last such game against Ireland by five runs in the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup.

- England have lost five of their last seven completed men’s T20Is in the Caribbean (W2), with both the wins coming against the West Indies; this will be their first ever men’s T20I game at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua.

(Via ICC Online Media Zone, Opta)

The pre-match chatter is largely around Net Run Rate and how England need to win big. But Jos Buttler at the toss played it down, saying the first focus is to win 2 points. NRR, if possible, will come into their mind later. 

England's XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w/c), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

Oman's XI: Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale(w), Aqib Ilyas(c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Khalid Kail, Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mehran Khan, Fayyaz Butt, Kaleemullah, Bilal Khan

Oman's captain Aqib Ilyas says he also wanted to bowl first. 

Team news coming up soon: England have brought in Reece Topley it seems. 

England have won the toss, and they have opted to bowl first! That's interesting. Perhaps they are looking to do what Scotland did in chasing against Oman with plenty of deliveries to spare. 

Very breezy in the middle, says Mike Atherton. Gorgeous day, it seems. 

England would, we imagine, love to bat first to get as much of a NRR boost as they can. Toss coming up in Antigua. 

So, with Bangladesh taking a decisive step towards Super 8 (they need to avoid defeat vs Nepal), Super 8 Group 1 is set to look like this: India (Q), Australia (Q), Afghanistan (all but qualified), Bangladesh (all but qualified). Some tasty clashe there! 

21-year-old spin sensation Rishad Hossain snapped three wickets to inspire a 25-run win for Bangladesh in crucial Group D T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands. Taskin Ahmed was also among the wicket-takers and struck twice on the day. Criticized for his string of poor scores of late, Shakib Al Hasan rose to the occasion in a crucial Group D match for Bangladesh as the former skipper scored an unbeaten 64 to inspire his side to 159/5 in 20 overs against Netherlands. Earlier, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards won the toss and elected to field first against Bangladesh during their Group D T20 World Cup game at St Vincent in Kingstown on Thursday.

Oman: Pratik Athavale(w), Naseem Khushi, Aqib Ilyas(c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Khalid Kail, Ayaan Khan, Mehran Khan, Rafiullah, Shakeel Ahmed, Kaleemullah, Bilal Khan, Kashyap Prajapati, Mohammad Nadeem, Shoaib Khan, Fayyaz Butt

England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w/c), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, Ben Duckett, Sam Curran, Tom Hartley

After chasing down the paltry target of 73 runs posted by Namibia inside the first six overs on Wednesday, the Australian cricket team could possibly yield to temptation and take it easy against Scotland in their next group game. The reason? It could make life difficult for the England cricket team, who are currently in a scramble to make the cut for the Super 8 at the ongoing T20 World Cup.

At least that’s what Australia’s Josh Hazlewood has implied in a press conference on Wednesday. However, he stopped short of saying that Australia would actually try to beat Scotland in a slower-than-needed fashion.

England will need to win their last two games. But they also have to hope that Scotland lose their final group game to Australia on Saturday. Scotland have a superior run rate than England at the moment. Their win over Oman with 41 balls to spare propped up Scotland’s NRR to 2.164, and made England’s job that much harder.

Even if Scotland lose to Australia, England will have to win their last two games against Oman and Namibia by certain margins so that their NRR is boosted.

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (c/wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley

Oman: Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athvale (wk), Naseem Kushi, Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Ayaan Khan, Khalid Kail, Naseem Kushi, Mehran Khan, Shakeel Ahmed, Kaleemullah, Bilal Khan

"I think it’s a very different opposition. It's a good question. I think it's a very different opposition to the last game. So, we have to adapt. We've got a meeting after this in our skill groups to just fine tune. And we also haven't really properly reviewed the other day. We've let it settle for a bit. We've trained well. But I think that some of the lessons that we learned, particularly we didn't go in blindly, but we probably didn't execute with the sides of the field with the ball that we wanted to get hit. I think that's somewhere we can tidy up and just being a little bit more proactive with the bat in enforcing the bowlers where we want to hit them. So those are the couple of areas we took out. And looking at this, it's a very similar set up. The wind is quite strong. And seeing the way Scotland exploited that the other day was something that we'd like to take in as well. So, it sets up well for our team."

Q: You've got plenty to focus on yourselves, but I wonder if you'd seen Josh Hazelwood's comments about doing whatever they could to make sure you guys don't get through regardless?

Matthew Mott: To be honest, I was informed of that this morning. Look to me, that's things out of our control and I think I know Josh pretty well and I know his integrity. I don't think that's a thing. He has got a very good sense of humour and hopefully that's what he was doing.

Q: Are you happy to take that as a joke and focus on your game ahead?

That's all we can do. I think regardless of any outside noise about qualification, run rates, all that sort of stuff, essentially, we've got to win this game and we've spoken a lot about that. I know Jos spoke really well yesterday about we need to earn the right to push hard in this game as well and I think that's what teams do. Nice, cool, calculated response. It's going to be a good wicket out here by the looks of it. We're going with a lot of confidence, I think. We've played good T20 cricket for a while now. It didn't quite come off against Australia last game but I think we've got our structure in place, we're really confident. Those who saw us train yesterday, you can see a buoyant group up and about that's ready for the challenge ahead.

(via ICC Online Media Zone)

Oman’s men’s cricket captain Aqib Ilyas takes a deep breath and says “Mujhe laga zindagi aur cricket dono khatam (I thought life and cricket are over for me).” The top order batsman and leg break bowler, is grateful he even made it.

The 31-year-old who takes over national captaincy for the first time, still remembers when a doctor holding his X-rays and CAT scan reports broke the news to him that the acute pain he was suffering on his left ankle was a cancerous tumour.

“It was scary. I’d gone numb,” he narrates his story to The Indian Express in an exclusive interview ahead of Oman’s match against Namibia.

Read more by Pratyush Raj here.

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For about 1/3rd of that match, Oman had Australia under pressure. The bowlers did a brilliant job, there was Aqib's absolute stunner of a catch... they'd be wondering what if that Stoinis catch was taken at long off. Because after that dropped catch, he took off big time! Including 3 more sixes in that very over. His 67 was the difference in the end on a night where most batters struggled. Came in and picked up three wickets too for good measure.

With their superb fightback against New Zealand, co-hosts West Indies made it three wins out of three and qualified for the Super 8. That result has all but ended New Zealand's hopes of qualifying. Kane Williamson's men were already behind the (Super) 8-ball after a damaging heavy defeat against Afghanistan to begin their campaign and their second defeat means they need a mathematical miracle to stay in contention. For starters, they need Papua New Guinea to beat Afghanistan. A washout or Afghanistan win seals their fate. Even if Rashid Khan and co somehow slip up against PNG, New Zealand will need mammoth wins in their last 2 matches because of a woeful NRR that reads -2.425 after two defeats. Even after that, Afghanistan still have a match left against West Indies. So yeah, chances are the Kiwis will be flying home after their group stage.