Afghanistan A came up with yet another batting flop show with an unchanged squad. The only change they made was the decision to field first instead of batting. Still the inevitable as they say couldn’t be prevented because Oman clinched their second successive victory in an emphatic fashion.
Fast bowlers redeemed their reputation
Saleem and Wafadar started the proceedings in a much better way. Saleem grabbed the first two wickets by deriving some quick pace and swing. However, that didn’t deter the Omani batters from scoring freely. Shahzad’s untidy glove work and keeping cost some free runs to the opposition along with a few more extras like wides and overthrows. Shoaib and Maqsood regularly punished the bowlers and they reached 88 at the end of 10 overs. Qais was once again very severely dealt with. In 4 overs he conceded 41 runs and knocked two batters. Zahir bowled reasonably well and grabbed three sticks. Wafadar ended up with two by conceding six an over.
Afghanistan got off to their worst possible start
The target was not very challenging considering Afghanistan A needed only 153 for victory in 20 overs. But following the footsteps of the previous game, the start was quite horrible to say the least. They lost the first five wickets inside seven overs at an economy of just over three. Hazratullah’s nightmare continued with another blob. Shahzad took 17 deliveries to score only 5. Afsar was dismissed for a golden duck while Wafiullah’s inexperience really got exposed again. Kamal’s woes as a batter didn’t reduce as he nicked an inside edge to the stumps.
Qais almost brought the team close
Samiullah and Karim stitched a 52 run association in seven overs before Karim lost his off stump trying to back off and force the pace. That left the job to Sami and Qais to bail the team out from this precarious position. Samiullah punched a few lusty blows before he eventually ran out of luck trying to score too many in every ball. Qais then entertained the crowd with his effortless power hitting and almost got the team home. His unbeaten knock of 43 came from 21 deliveries with four huge sixes and a couple of fours. Saleem gave him good company with a six and a four. The team eventually fell short by seven runs giving Oman their second consecutive victory of the series.
Drop the seniors and bring fresh legs
Like I mentioned in my previous column that the team needs fresh legs who could be groomed for bigger opportunities. The likes of Sami, Shahzad, Afsar and Hazrat are quite done and dusted. No matter how many chances you offer, they’re going to decline from here. It’s better to use all the credible reserves like Atal, Kharoti and Ijaz keeping the future in mind. Omani bowlers are very experienced. These kids will definitely learn a thing or two if they’re groomed with some serious intention.