Australia demolished Oman by nine wickets to win the final Twenty20 World Cup group encounter in Pallekele on Friday in emphatic style, despite both teams already being eliminated from the tournament.
Chasing a modest target of 105 for victory, skipper Mitchell Marsh was in no mood to hang around and ruthlessly dispatched Oman’s bowlers to all corners of the park, bringing up his half-century off just 26 balls inside the first powerplay.
Oman’s Shakeel Ahmed collided with wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla when he had Travis Head caught and bowled off a top edge for 32, but the 38-year-old spinner was so overjoyed he brought out Cristiano Ronaldo’s trademark goal celebration.
But Marsh remained unbeaten on 64 with seven boundaries and four sixes to guide Australia home with 62 balls to spare, equalling the T20 World Cup record for the fastest chase of a total over 100.
Australia finished third in the group with two wins and two defeats, while winless Oman propped up the table with no points.
Earlier, Australia produced a clinical bowling display to dismiss Oman for 104 in 16.2 overs after winning the toss and opting to field, with Adam Zampa finishing with figures of 4-21.
Fast bowler Xavier Bartlett set the tone with a wicket off the very first ball, removing Aamir Kaleem as his delivery crashed into the stumps.
Bartlett’s movement troubled the batters, and he had skipper Jatinder Singh also bowled in his next over, finishing with two key powerplay strikes that put Oman on the back foot.
Oman attempted to rebuild, but none of their batters converted their starts into substantial scores. Wasim Ali stood out with a gritty 32 off 33 balls, offering the only meaningful resistance as wickets fell steadily at the other end.
Australia’s spinners dominated the middle overs as Oman struggled, frequently misjudging their lengths and playing down the wrong line.
Zampa claimed his fourth four-wicket haul in T20 World Cups while Glenn Maxwell, who dropped a catch in the first over, also chipped in with two wickets.
Source: Reuters
--Agencies
