With one win in three matches, Australia are already knocked out of the race to qualify for the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup 2026. They will play Oman in their final league stage game, who are yet to win a game. Despite so, captain Jatinder Singh is confident and shared his ambition of crushing Australia at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Jatinder believes that it is the perfect opportunity for Oman to leave a mark on the world stage and noted that the Mitchell Marsh-led side hasnโt played their best cricket as of late. With a little bit of momentum and luck, he plans to cause an upset, revealing that his players are excited for a positive outcome.
โOne hundred percent this is an opportunity. And our boys are looking forward to it. Because T20 is a game of momentum and the moments, and if you play those moments right, you can do anything on that particular day. Australia is not doing well at the momentโฆ it is the best time to crush them. The boys are really positive. They are looking forward to the match against Australia to make their mark,โ Jatinder said in the pre-match press conference.
Jatinder calls for more franchise cricket
Italian players feature in the Big Bash League, Scots and Dutch are very regular in County cricket, while the UAE has their own ILT20. Even Nepal has their own franchise cricket. However, Oman struggles in that department and Jatimder believes that it creates a massive gap between them and other experienced sides. He shared that the boards donโt often show interest in coming to Oman to play and that has played a part in their slow growth as a cricketing nation.
โWell if I have to sum up [how Oman can improve], it would be if we have the franchise cricket happening in the country or our guys get a chance to play franchise cricket elsewhere. I think we can fill that gap and they can bring vast amount of experience for our national team.
โBut if we don’t get to play competitive cricket, whereas other teams are getting to play the competitive cricket, we will need to fill that gap. There have been instances where we’ve been inviting the teams to come and play in Oman. The response has been really delayed, or we don’t get any response. So I think if we have the franchise cricket, that would really fill the gap,โ Jatinder said.
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