Oman pulls off a convincing win against Uganda in ICC World Cricket League

Canada, Oman and Singapore on same points at halfway stage of Division 3

· Oman and Singapore secure second wins; Canada slumps to defeat as Malaysia wins first match

Oman pulled off a convincing win against Uganda to join Canada and Singapore on four points at the midway stage of the ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division 3 on Friday, 26 May.

Jatinder Singh top-scored with 58 to lead Oman to victory by six wickets after Uganda had been bowled out earlier in the day for 144 at the Kyambogo Cricket Oval, Kampala.

Singapore defeated the USA by seven wickets after an unbeaten 162 runs fourth wicket partnership between Arjun Mutreja (101 not out) and Chetan Suryawanshi (74 not out) secured a convincing win for the Asian side. Earlier, Steven Taylor had scored 69 to help his side to 237 all out in 47 overs.

Canada suffered a surprising six-wicket defeat at the hands of Malaysia which secured its first win of the tournament as Ahmed Faiz scored an unbeaten 49 in his side’s 143 for four in 38 overs.

Oman looked in fine form in its match against Uganda in Kampala, as an all-round team performance secured the win by six wickets. Bowlers Bilal Khan (three for 28) and Zeeshan Maqsood (three for 34) helped put Oman on the front foot, by taking regular Uganda wickets. Roger Mukasa’s half-century (57) was the bright spot for the hosts, as they were bowled out for 144 in 46.3 overs.

The response was emphatic by Oman as it chased down the runs in 27 overs, with Jatinder Singh scoring 58 from 71 balls and Sultan Ahmed (22) to secure victory.

Steven Taylor was the man of the day for the USA, but he could not do enough to stop Singapore securing a well-earned victory. Captain Taylor scored a quickfire 69 from 52 balls, supported by Camilus Alexander (44) and Alex Amsterdam (41). Suresh Appusamy was the pick of the bowlers for Singapore taking three wickets for 24 runs, as USA were bowled out for 237 in 47 overs.

Singapore’s chase focused on Arjun Mutreja’s unbeaten 101 from 119 balls with 10 fours and a six, and Chetan Suryawanshi’s 75-ball 74 not out with five fours and two sixes. The two batsmen had got together after Singapore was in a slight bother after slipping to 76 for three in 18 overs.

Canada slumped to a surprise defeat on day three of competition as Malaysia beat the table-toppers by six wickets. Malaysia’s bowling line-up put in a polished performance, withstanding Nikhil Dutta’s 30 runs from 60 balls. Virandeep Singh (two for 28) and Khizar Hayat (two for 30) were the star bowlers for Malaysia as they bowled Canada out for 141 in 48.5 overs.

Opener Anwar Arundin (48) got the chase off to a strong start, after the early wicket of Syed Aziz (eight), as Ahmed Faiz (49 not out) led the Malaysians to its first win of the tournament.

Three matches will be played on Saturday, day four of the tournament.

The top two sides from this competition will be promoted to ICC World Cricket League Division 2. From Division 2, the top two sides will join four sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the bottom four ranked sides from the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018. The top two sides from the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, to be staged in the United Kingdom from 30 May to 15 July.

Scores in brief:

Singapore beat USA by 7 wickets at Lugogo Cricket Oval, Kampala

USA 237 all out, 47 overs (Steven Taylor 69, Camilus Alexander 44; Suresh Appusamy 3-24)

Singapore 238-3, 45.4 overs (Arjun Mutreja 101 not out, Chetan Suryawanshi 74 not out; Steven Taylor 1-35)

Malaysia beat Canada by 6 wickets at Entebbe Cricket Club, Entebbe

Canada 141 all out, 48.5 overs (Nikhil Dutta 30, Dhanuka Pathirana 28; Virandeep Singh 2-28)

Malaysia 143-4, 38 overs (Chaminda Kumarage 40, Arjun Mutreja 35; Mohammed Irfan 5-38)

Oman beat Uganda by 6 wickets at Kyambogo Cricket Oval, Kampala

Uganda 144 all out, 46.3 overs (Roger Mukasa 57, Hamu Kayondo 20; Bilal Khan 3-28)

Oman 145-4, 27 overs (Jatinder Singh 58, Sultan Ahmed 22; Frank Nsubuga 1-43)

Fixtures for Saturday:

Singapore v Oman (Entebbe Cricket Club)

Uganda v Malaysia (Lugogo Cricket Oval)

Canada v USA (Kyambogo Cricket Oval)