Last Updated on 4 months by Charbel Coorey

T20 WC 2021 Match 1: OMN vs PNG Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | OMA vs PNG Dream11 Prediction Today | Oman vs Papua New Guinea Key Players | Al Amerat Pitch Report

From another wonderful moment for the decorated Chennai Super Kings to another less than 48 hours later. The people of Oman will witness their national side host the opening match of a global tournament in what is a fantastic opportunity for their team. 3,000 will be in attendance, while many others will tune in on their televisions and smartphones.

The T20 World Cup – a year late – is finally upon us, and phase one of the tournament promises to be quite fascinating. Oman, hosting phase one of the T20 World Cup, have a great opportunity to make that home advantage count in their quest to qualify for the Super 12s. Facing them today is a critical game given that Bangladesh and Scotland are the favourites to qualify from Group B.

Papua New Guinea is the most winnable match in the group for Oman, given this is PNG’s first appearance at a global tournament and are enduring a bad run of form. However, don’t let that distract you from what is a brilliant story. Most of their squad hails from Hanuabada Village, a conclave on the western side of PNG capital Port Moresby, and here they are looking to make a mark on the world stage. In fact, this will be the first time ever that PNG will play in front of a televised audience back home. A big occasion indeed.

While qualification out of the group looks a distant possibility for PNG, a good performance here will certainly raise further attention as to the strides they have made. They will want to put their best foot forward in what also looks like their best opportunity to compete in this group. Here’s to a good match.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Oman:

• Aqib Ilyas has been the man in form for Oman. He struck 59, 30 and 78 in the T20 World Cup warm up matches against Sri Lanka, Namibia and Netherlands respectively. Also, he struck 34 and 56 in ODIs vs PNG on this ground a few weeks ago.
• Can Jatinder Singh make his mark on the World Cup right away after a poor run of form (scores of 7, 5, 8 and 1) in the warm up matches? He has the most runs for Oman in T20Is (697, avg. 27.88, SR 114.07).
• Jatinder has a solid record on this ground in T20Is, with 215 runs in seven matches at an average of 35.83 and strike rate of 117.48.
• Khawar Ali’s all-round ability will be key for Oman. He has both the second-most runs (601, avg. 20.72) and wickets (35, avg. 16.85) for his country. He recently decimated the PNG lineup in an ODI, taking 5/15 on October 1.
• Skipper Zeeshan Maqsood will be keen to lead from the front on a big day for his team. He has the third-most runs for Oman in T20Is (26 inns, 547 runs, avg. 24.86, SR 11.63), along with 18 wickets with his left-arm spin. He struck 26 and 17* in ODIs vs PNG a few weeks ago.
• Will PNG be able to handle Bilal Khan? The left-arm seamer is the only Oman bowler to have at least 50 T20I wickets (51, avg. 16.25, SR 14.3). He recently took 1/12 and 1/32 in ODIs vs PNG.
• In fact, Bilal Khan is the joint-sixth-fastest, along with Dale Steyn, to 50 T20I wickets (35 matches).

Papua New Guinea:

• Tony Ura is the face of PNG cricket. He is PNG’s only centurion, with a total of 768 T20I runs in 26 innings at an impressive average and strike rate of 37.70 and 141.46 respectively.
• Ura struck 69 recently against Namibia in Dubai, before making scores of 2 (vs Ireland) and 24 (vs Srl Lanka) in the World Cup warm ups.
• Skipper Assad Vala showed fine form in two ODIs against Oman at the turn of the month. He struck scores of 27 (49) and 62 (78). He is PNG’s second-highest run-scorer in T20Is, with 516 at an average of 23. Also, he is PNG’s third-highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps at an average of just 13.
• The skipper also top-scored for PNG in the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament, with 197 runs in eight innings at an average of 28.14 and strike rate of 121.60.
• Sese Bau has the second-highest average for any PNG player with at least 300 T20I runs (26.73), only behind Ura’s 37.70. Bau has had a bit of a lean patch leading into the tournament (7, 12, 3 in his last three matches), so PNG will be hoping he hits form here.
• Damien Ravu has the second-highest number of wickets for any PNG bowler in T20Is. His 24 scalps in 18 matches come at an average of 10.66 and economy rate of just 5.66. However, he has gone wicketless in each of his last seven matches across ODI and T20 matches.
• Nosaina Pokana will be key for PNG. The left-armer has 21 wickets in as many T20Is at an average of 18.14 and economy rate of 5.96. He took 1/48 vs Oman in an ODI a few weeks ago, and will be looking to improve on two wickets in his last four T20 matches.

Stats and Facts

• This will be the first meeting between Oman and Papua New Guinea in a T20 International. Oman did beat PNG comfortably in two ODIs recently as part of the Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament.
• Oman have been in some decent form. They beat a strong Mumbai domestic team 2-1 in a T20 series last month, and pushed Sri Lanka recently in their two matches against them.
• PNG have lost their last 12 matches (eight ODIs, two T20Is and two unofficial T20s). Can they turn that around here?

Possible Playing 11

Oman: 1. Jatinder Singh, 2. Aqib Ilyas, 3. Khawar Ali, 4. Kashyap Prajapati, 5. Zeeshan Maqsood (c), 6. Suraj Kumar, 7. Sandeep Goud, 8. Naseem Khushi (wk), 9. Mohammad Nadeem, 10. Fayyaz Butt/Kaleemulah, 11. Bilal Khan

Papua New Guinea: 1. Tony Ura, 2. Lega Siaka, 3. Assad Vala (c), 4. Charles Amini, 5. Kiplin Doriga (wk), 6. Sese Bau, 7. Norman Vanua, 8. Chad Soper, 9. Simon Atai, 10. Nosaina Pokana, 11. Damien Ravu

Al Amerat Pitch Report and Weather

The recent T20s between Sri Lanka and Oman saw scores of 160. Sri Lanka finished well in the first game to reach 162/4, followed by the Lankans then chasing Oman’s 150 in the next match. Expect another easy-paced surface here.

The forecast is for clear and hot weather, with a top of about 35 degrees.

Dream11 Prediction

Note: Teams below are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these teams in time after the final playing XIs have been announced.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Simon Atai
• Batsmen: Tony Ura, Jatinder Singh, Aqib Ilyas
• All-rounders: Khawar Ali, Neeshan Maqsood, Assad Vala
• Bowlers: Bilal Khan

Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?

Match Prediction

Oman at home look good for a win. They have been in decent form lately and should beat a PNG side finding its feet at this level.