Dubai: Oman sealed a place in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2027, despite losing to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 42 runs in the final match of the World Cup League 2 at the ICC Academy Ground on Wednesday.
The defeat was Oman’s seventh loss in a row, and it left them level with Namibia on 33 points. But their superior net run rate of -0.224 was enough for them to clinch the fourth and final direct qualifying spot from the league.
Sent in to bat first, the UAE posted 226/8 in their 50 overs. Captain Rahul Chopra and Adeeb Usmani made 47 each, while Basil Hameed chipped in with 43. Left-arm spinner Shakeel Ahmed was the pick of the Oman bowlers with figures of 3-42.
Oman’s chase stumbled early when Muhammad Rohid struck twice to leave them at 28/3. Mujibur Ali fought back with 65, but Oman finished well short on 184/9 in their allotted 50 overs. Despite that setback, Oman joined League 2 champions the USA, Scotland and the Netherlands in the 10-team global qualifying tournament.
Namibia, Canada, Nepal and the UAE, the other four League 2 sides, now face the Qualifier Playoff for another shot. They will be joined there by Jersey and Kuwait from Challenge League A, and by Italy and Uganda from Challenge League B. Four spots in the global qualifier are on offer from the eight-team playoff.
The global qualifier will decide who will grab the last four places at the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup. The winner goes straight into the group stage of the main event, while the second, third and fourth-placed teams move into the newly created super series.
The 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 2 to November 21. Fourteen teams will play 57 matches across 12 venues. It also marks the tournament’s return to Africa for the first time since 2003 and Namibia hosting matches of a senior tournament for the first time.
A ticket ballot for watching matches of the tournament is open till November 21, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) saying more than 120 million ticket applications had been received as of November 1.
(IANS)
