Oman 'thrilled' to host T20 World Cup qualifiers

MUMBAI: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly's statement on Monday that Muscat will be amongst the four cities in which the 2021 T20 World Cup will be held, has been like music to the cricket authorities in Oman. Ganguly said that the qualifiers for the T20 World Cup - also known as the first/preliminary round of the tournament - will be held in Muscat. The BCCI will have the hosting rights for the event, which will kick off from October 17 and end on November 14.
"Though it's official from BCCI's end, we still haven't been intimated as of now.All the same, it's very magnanimous on the BCCI's part to consider Oman (to stage the event). We will try and live up to the expectations of the hosts and the International Cricket Council (ICC). It will be one of the greatest moments in Oman's sporting history," Oman Cricket Board (OCB) president Pankaj Khimji told TOI on Monday.
On Monday, the BCCI requested the ICC to shift the tournament out of India to UAE because of the pandemic. After receiving indications from the ICC and the BCCI earlier this month that Oman may be asked to stage the preliminary round matches of the 2021 T20 World Cup, Khimji had said that his country "would be delighted to be a potential venue for it."
Oman's cricket officials met the BCCI's top brass in Dubai earlier this month. The T20 WC qualifiers are likely to kick off from October 17, just a few days after the conclusion of the IPL. Besides hosts Oman, the other teams which will compete in the first round/qualifiers are Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Oman, Bangladesh, Namibia, Netherlands and Scotland. Four teams from the first round will qualify for the Super 12 stage, which includes India, Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies and Afghanistan.
Khimji said that Oman had the infrastructure to host these matches. "Our facilities have the approval of the ICC to stage T20Is, ODIs and we also got the ICC green signal to host Test matches this year," Khimji, who was recently appointed as the vice-president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said.
The Oman Cricket Academy (OCA) ground in Al Amerat, near Oman's capital Muscat, received Test status this year. It has already staged T20Is and ODIs. "It's a very picturesque stadium, and has a beautiful clubhouse with indoor net facilities too," said Khimji. The ICC has already acknowledged it as one of the best cricket grounds amongst the associate cricket nations.
Oman's team is coached by former Sri Lanka captain Duleep Mendis. "I'm very optimistic that we can clear the qualifying rounds and play in the league stage. That itself will be an achievement," Khimji said.