17 August 2006

SINGAPORE SINK OMAN

Oman v Singapore at Royal Millitary College

SINGAPORE WON BY 75 RUNS

An appallingly clichéd headline, we know, but there is really no other way to describe what happened to Oman as they succumbed all guns blazing, in a flurry of big shots and mental fogginess to lose by 75 runs to Singapore at the Royal Military College Grounds.

Oman’s Farhan Khan bowls to Pramodh Raja

Singapore have distinguished themselves in this tournament by having an evident strategy in their matches when they bat, that being to keep wickets in hand until the 40th over when they look to hit out. It worked a treat against Bahrain in their first match of the tournament, when they struck 80 off the last ten overs.

Oman’s Hemin Desai tries for a breakthrough against Singapore’s Glenn Meyer

The platform was again set up with Chaminda Ruwan and Munish Arora again sharing a big stand in the middle-order. The wicket was a little slower than that against Bahrain at Bayuemas and 50 runs came off the last ten.

Singapore’s strategy as shown by these two class-players and Glenn Meyer could have suggested a way for the Omanis to play. 202 was eminently gettable, especially when you have a team packed with all-rounders and some undoubted talent in your ranks. But only Awal Khan stayed long enough to trouble Singaporeas they were all out in the 31st over.

With many of the same personnel that impressed in the 2005 ICC Trophy, and carrying the mantle of finalists in the 2004 ACC Trophy, Oman can just about shrug the match off as one those bad days that can befall any team. They have a crunch match against Bahrain now, which will decide which of them advance to the quarter-finals.

GROUP B
Oman v Singapore at Royal Millitary College
Toss: Oman
SINGAPORE WON BY 75 RUNS
Singapore: 202 for 8 in 50 overs (C. Ruwan 60, M. Arora 67, G. Meyer 37; H. Desai 3-22)
Oman: 127 all out in 30.3 overs (A. Khan 31; P. Raja 3-24, C. Ruwan 3-28)
Man of the Match: Chaminda Ruwan (Singapore)

Points; Singapore 2, Oman 0