The 2nd warm-up match of the T20 World Cup 2024 will feature Oman and Papua New Guinea facing off at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.
This will be Oman’s third appearance in the T20 World Cup, having previously participated in 2016 and 2021, while Papua New Guinea will be participating for the second time after debuting in the 2021 edition. Both sides recently faced each other in a T20I series, which Oman won.
Oman will be led by Aqib Ilyas, and Papua New Guinea will be captained by Assad Vala.
OMAN vs PNG, Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad Pitch Report
The pitch at Brian Lara Stadium is a balanced surface, offering assistance to batters in the initial overs. As the game progresses, the pitch tends to slow down, favoring spin bowlers. The average innings score is around 175. Notably, in 2023, England smashed 267 runs in 20 overs against West Indies at this venue.
Team Previews:
Oman:
- Captain: Aqib Ilyas
- Key Players: Aqib Ilyas, Bilal Khan
- Strengths: Strong bowling attack led by Bilal Khan, who can strike early. Aqib Ilyas provides stability and momentum in the batting order.
Papua New Guinea:
- Captain: Assad Vala
- Key Players: Tony Ura, Chad Soper
- Strengths: Tony Ura is an aggressive batter who can take advantage of the powerplay. Chad Soper is effective in the middle overs, picking up crucial wickets.
Betting Tips:
- Top Batter: Tony Ura (Papua New Guinea) is a strong candidate due to his aggressive style and ability to exploit the powerplay.
- Top Bowler: Bilal Khan (Oman) is likely to be impactful with his early breakthroughs.
- Match Prediction: Oman has recently won the T20I series against Papua New Guinea and looks slightly stronger on paper. They are favored to win this warm-up match.
Latest Odds:
- Oman: 1.70
- Papua New Guinea: 2.10
Match Prediction:
Given their recent form and past victories, Oman is expected to win this warm-up match against Papua New Guinea. Their balanced team and effective leadership under Aqib Ilyas make them the favorites.
Oman Team News & Playing 11
OMAN Team News
Oman had a good outing in the Mens T20I Premier Cup 2024 and we are anticipating that they will go with the same combination in the T20 World Cup. Full strength squad is available as no injuries are reported.
OMAN Team Batting
The top batters from Oman will be Zeeshan Maqsood and Kashyap Prajapati. In 64 T20Is, Zeeshan has scored 1295 runs at a decent strike rate of 121.94 and Prajapati has accumulated 812 runs at an average of 23.2.
OMAN Team Bowling
Oman’s top bowlers will be Bilal Khan and Fayyaz Butt. Left-arm pacer Bilal is an experienced international player with 74 T20Is in which he has taken 106 wickets at an average of 17.07. Fayyaz is also a pacer and he has taken 45 wickets in 43 T20I matches at a strike rate of 18.47.
OMAN Team Form
Oman won the T20 World Cup 2024 Asia Qualifier in November 2024, beating Nepal in a Super Over in the final match. In April 2024, Oman reached the final of the Men’s T20I Premier Cup.
Oman Predicted Playing 11
Kashyap Prajapati, Naseem Khushi, Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Pratik Athavale (wk), Ayaan Khan, Khalid Kail, Rafiullah, Shakeel Ahmed, Fayyaz Butt, Bilal Khan
Papua New Guinea Team News & Playing 11
PNG Team News
PNG might go with almost the same combination like they did recently on the tours to Hong Kong and Malaysia. No injuries are reported so far.
PNG Team Batting
The top batters from the PNG side will be Assad Vala and Norman Vanua. Assad Vala is an experienced player and he has scored 1207 runs in 53 T20Is at a strike rate of 120.34. Norman Vanua has scored 620 runs at a good strike rate of 135.08 and he has also taken 51 wickets in 49 T20Is.
PNG Team Bowling
Charles Amini and Kabua Morea will be the top picks from the bowling line-up of PNG. Amini has taken 43 wickets in 51 T20I matches and he also comes as a handy batter as well as he has scored 886 runs. Kabua Morea is a left-arm pacer and he has picked 32 wickets in just 19 T20Is at an average of 14.91.
PNG Team Form
PNG recently toured Oman, Hong Kong and Malaysia and they displayed a decent performance. In the Hong Kong T20I series where 4 teams took part, PNG won the final by beating Nepal in March 2024.