These are some of the findings of the Cricket Monthly's first annual global survey of cricketers and their workloads. And Rashid Khan is the planet's most prolific T20 cricketer, as well as its widest traveller. Virat Kohli faces more balls than anyone else in the business. Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root are engaged in an international match every fourth day of the year. South Africa's Dane Vilas is the world's most-playing cricketer.
We are trying to put a smile on their faces.Girish TS, Rahul Bhattacharya, Srinath Sripath, Shiva Jayaraman | September 21, 2018 During this pandemic, it will mean a lot for people back home. The boys are looking pumped up for the game on Sunday. “We are a couple of days away from playing our first World Cup match. Most people would say it’s just another game, but it’s not to us, it’s our first ever World Cup game, World Cup tournament, (having) qualified for the first World Cup," Papua New Guinea captain Vala said. He is also in great recent form with the bat, notching three 30+ scores in his last four T20 innings including a fifty in warm-up match against Sri Lanka. His off-breaks will be crucial for PNG in these conditions. The in-form all-rounder has a bowling strike rate of 13.3 in 18 T20I innings. He is also coming into the World Cup qualifiers on the back of good form in the recent ICC CWC League 2 tournaments.Īssad Vala, Papua New Guinea’s captain, is a must-have for this match. He has an impressive bowling strike rate of 14.3 in 35 T20Is. The 33-year old left-arm pacer is the leader of Oman’s bowling attack.
One can't look past Bilal Khan as the top choice for captaincy of their fantasy team. The left-arm seamer will likely take the new ball in search of early scalps and is also a more-than-competent slip fielder. Vala and Ura averaged 60 for the first wicket throughout that qualifier and their weight of runs will again hold the key to Papua New Guinea’s chances at the tournament proper.īilal Khan is Oman’s leading T20 international wicket-taker with 51 dismissals in his 35 internationals to date. The opening batter has three T20 international half centuries to his name and forged an important partnership with Tony Ura at the top of the order during the qualifying tournament. Papua New Guinea’s stand-out player is captain and batting linchpin Assad Vala. Venue: Oman Cricket Academy Ground, Al Amerat.Time: 14:00 local time on Sunday 17 October.Png: The village that built World Cup's fairytale debutants Fixture Details Oman: The family dream behind Oman's cricketing rise What better way to get the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup underway! The tournament debutants vs the World Cup co-hosts. For the opening week, all Group B matches in the first round will be held at Muscat’s Al Amerat Cricket Stadium, giving Oman home advantage in their bid to face off with the biggest and best in the world during the later weeks of the tournament at UAE’s higher-capacity venues. But, as mentioned earlier, the 2021 tournament has an extra-special edge for the nation due to their role as co-hosts.
Oman aren’t exactly World Cup old-timers themselves, with this tournament being only the country’s second appearance at a Men’s T20 World Cup. But the East Asia-Pacific qualifiers have had to wait for their World Cup bow, with the pandemic meaning there has been two years between that qualifying celebration in Dubai and Sunday’s opening match against Oman.
But there was no such heartbreak this time around, with the team welcomed home by thousands of jubilant fans when they sealed their spot in the tournament. They came close in 20, losing late in the qualification process. The travelling Papua New Guinea squad are the first group of players to represent the country at a men’s World Cup, 48 years after the nation was named as an associate member by the ICC.