Pallekale: Oman captain Jatinder Singh believes his side have a golden opportunity to stun struggling Australia when the two teams meet in their final group-stage match at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Friday.
Oman endured a tough campaign with heavy defeats to Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Ireland.
The only time the two teams met was during the 2024 edition of the tournament where they were comprehensively beaten by Australia. However, Jatinder feels that the current circumstances may work in Oman’s favour.
Having already been eliminated from the tournament, Australia gained little from the clash apart from salvaging pride. Jatinder suggested that the mood in the Australian camp could open up an opportunity for his team.
“One hundred percent it’s a chance,” Jadinder said.
“Our boys are looking forward to it. T20 is a game of pace and moments, if you play those moments right, you can do anything on a given day. Australia are not doing well at the moment… now is the best time to crush them,” he added.
“The boys are really positive. They are looking forward to the match against Australia to make their mark.”
Beyond the competition, Jatinder also highlighted the need to demonstrate greater competitiveness to improve Oman’s performance on the global stage.
Oman had a relatively light schedule in 2025, playing just 15 T20Is and eight ODIs throughout the year.
“If I have to summarize (how Oman can progress), it will be franchise cricket in the country or if our guys get a chance to play franchise cricket elsewhere,” Jatinder said.
“I think we can fill that gap and they can bring a wide range of experience to our national team.
“But if we don’t play competitive cricket, if other teams play competitive cricket, then we have to fill that gap. There have been instances where we have invited teams to come and play in Oman. The response is too late, or we get no response. So if we fill cricket, we have to fill that right.”
Oman will now hope to capitalize on Australia’s struggles and end their campaign on a high by putting up a memorable performance in Ballegale.