Oman Announces T20 World Cup Squad with New Captain
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 squads have been announced.
Aqib Ilyas has been named as the new captain of the Oman team, with former captain Zeeshan Maqsood retaining his place in the squad. Ilyas, 36, previously served as deputy to Sultan Ahmed during Oman’s T20 World Cup debut in 2016 and led the team in the 2021 edition co-hosted with UAE.
“I am truly honoured to be entrusted with the captaincy,” said Ilyas. “It’s a huge responsibility, and I aim to lead the team to many victories. We are preparing rigorously for the World Cup, and the recent ACC Premier Cup has provided us with invaluable preparation.”
Oman’s Aqib Ilyas is back in form and has set his sights on a specific Super Six opponent at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023.
The majority of the squad that reached the final of the recent ACC Premier Cup is included, with eight members of the 2021 T20 World Cup squad returning for the 2024 campaign. The bowling lineup will be led by left-arm yorker specialist Bilal Khan, supported by Kaleemullah and Fayyaz Butt, and the left-arm orthodox of Shakeel Ahmad. Shakeel, a relatively new addition to the team, joins all-rounders Aqib and Zeeshan in Oman’s spin department.
On the batting front, Kashyap Prajapati and Naseem Khushi are expected to bat ahead of Aqib and Zeeshan at No.3 and No.4, with wicket-keeper batter Pratik Athavale and Ayaan Khan likely to feature lower down the order.
Notably, there was no place in the squad for opener Jatinder Singh or Samay Shrivastav.
Oman Squad:
Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale (wk), Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi (wk), Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad. Reserves: Jatinder Singh, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra
Kashyap Prajapati, Oman batter, shares his pride in scoring a century and his progress at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023.
Oman, positioned in Group B alongside Australia, England, Namibia, and Scotland, will begin their T20 World Cup campaign on 2 June against the Eagles in Barbados.