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Familiar rivals are meeting on the grand stage for the first time. Namibia and Oman, both making their third appearance in four World Cup editions, were placed in different groups in their sole previous tournament together. Surprisingly, despite being well-acquainted as ODI opponents, they have rarely crossed paths in the shorter format. Prior to their recent five-match bilateral series in Muscat in April, they had only clashed thrice in T20s, all during a T20 World Cup Qualifier.
Although Namibia emerged victorious in that recent series with a 3-2 scoreline, Oman seemed to benefit more from it. While the series outcome likely dashed Namibia's hopes of direct 2026 qualification through rankings, it helped Oman discover a successful strategy for their opening partnership, with Nasseem Kushi thriving after being promoted up the order.
Namibia, however, emerged as the winners in that fluctuating series, highlighting themes that could resurface in today's match. Oman's reliance on quick runs in the powerplay, especially with Kushi at the top, and the importance of their in-form captain, Aaqib Ilyas, were evident. Although Namibia also possesses aggressive ball-strikers at the start in Nico Davin and JP Kotze, they have additional late-hitting powerhouses in David Wiese and JJ Smit, allowing them to consolidate and capitalize in the latter stages of the game.
Both teams see this match as crucial for their hopes of making a breakthrough from Group B. With upcoming matches against Scotland, England, and Australia, the path ahead is unlikely to get any easier as the group stage progresses.
Squads:
Namibia Squad: Michael van Lingen, Nikolaas Davin, Jan Frylinck, Malan Kruger, JP Kotze, Zane Green(w), David Wiese, Gerhard Erasmus(c), JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Tangeni Lungameni, Ben Shikongo, Dylan Leicher, Peter-Daniel Blignaut, Jack Brassell
Oman Squad: Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale(w), Aqib Ilyas(c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Khalid Kail, Mehran Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Ayaan Khan, Rafiullah, Shakeel Ahmed, Shoaib Khan, Bilal Khan, Fayyaz Butt, Kaleemullah, Naseem Khushi
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