The United States secured a dominant victory over Oman in their ICC CWC League 2 encounter at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground, thanks to a stellar all-round performance from Milind Kumar and a sensational bowling spell from Nosthush Kenjige.
Having won the toss, Oman opted to field first, a decision that proved fruitful in the opening stages. USA struggled early in their innings, with opener Smit Patel dismissed for a duck in the very first over by Shakeel Ahmed. Andries Gous and Harmeet Singh followed soon after, leaving the USA reeling at 25 for 3 inside nine overs.
The middle order fared no better, as captain Monank Patel and Saiteja Mukkamalla also fell cheaply, leaving the team in dire straits at 31 for 5. However, Milind Kumar emerged as the savior for the USA, anchoring the innings with a resilient 47 off 82 balls. He found some support from Aaron Jones (16) and Sanjay Krishnamurthi (16), but wickets continued to tumble around him. Despite his efforts, the USA could only manage a modest total of 122 runs in 35.3 overs.
Oman’s bowling attack was spearheaded by Shakeel Ahmed, who picked up 3 for 20 in his 8.3-over spell. Aamir Kaleem and Samay Shrivastav chipped in with two wickets each, while Jay Odedra and Siddharth Bukkapatnam claimed one apiece.
Chasing a target of 123, Oman had a disastrous start as USA’s bowlers ran riot. Milind Kumar made an immediate impact with the ball, dismissing Oman captain Jatinder Singh for just 7 runs. Aamir Kaleem followed soon after, falling to Harmeet Singh. The only real resistance came from Hammad Mirza, who scored a fighting 29 off 43 balls. However, he found little support from the rest of the lineup as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.
The standout performer with the ball was Nosthush Kenjige, who ran through the Omani batting order with a five-wicket haul, conceding just 11 runs in his 7.3 overs. His spell ensured that Oman was bundled out for a paltry 65 in just 25.3 overs. Yasir Mohammad and Milind Kumar also contributed with two wickets each, further dismantling the opposition’s fragile batting lineup.
USA’s dominant display saw them secure a convincing 57-run victory, with Milind Kumar named Player of the Match for his all-round contributions, scoring 47 runs and taking 2 for 17 with the ball.
