USA Solidifies Its Position at the Top of CWL 2 with a Close Win Against Oman

The USA men’s cricket side has claimed yet another victory in the tri-series against Oman and solidified their lead at the top of the CWL 2 table. It was a closely contested game between the two sides, as the stakes are as high as they can get. USA posted a competitive 293 for the loss of 8 wickets, thanks to a 73-run innings by Saiteja Mukkamalla. Sufyan Mehmood made a good effort for Oman by scoring 72, but his team fell short by 9 runs.

Strong Start by Opener, Finished well by Saiteja Mukkamalla

USA made a thunderous start after being invited to bat first by Jatinder Singh. Smit Patel and Shayan Jahangir played attacking cricket and scored 66 runs in the powerplay. Jahangir, who was the main aggressor, was dismissed for 37 right after the powerplay ended. Smit Patel followed soon after, falling for 41 to the bowling of Sufyan Mehmood.

Skipper Monank Patel didn’t contribute much and was clean bowled by a superb delivery from Aamir Kaleem. Saiteja Mukkamalla, coming in at No.5, took it upon himself to lead USA to a bigger total while forming partnerships with the middle and lower order. Harmeet Singh played an important innings of 33, while Sanjay Krishnamurthi scored 40 off 27 to take USA to 293.

Great Effort by Sufyan Mehmood but Fell Short

Oman got off to a shaky start with opener Aamir Kaleem getting out for just 5. Skipper Jatinder Singh was in fabulous form, scoring 42 off 46 and hitting 6 fours, but a mix-up in the middle resulted in him being run out, and it seemed Oman had no way back into the match. Hammad Mirza played a superb innings, scoring 50 off 52 deliveries and providing some hope for his side, but he was dismissed as soon as he reached his half-century.

Oman were down and out at 155 for 6 in 31 overs, still needing 139 in 19 overs. However, Sufyan Mehmood and Vinayak Shukla formed a solid partnership to get Oman closer to the target. Sufyan Mehmood, in particular, was brilliant, hitting the ball all around the park. He scored 72 off just 51 deliveries, while Vinayak Shukla contributed 46 off 37.

Oman needed just 21 off 14 deliveries, but the wicket of Sufyan turned the tide in USA’s favor yet again, making it impossible for Oman to reach the target. USA won the match by 9 runs.

Jasdeep Singh and Hardeep Singh were the main wicket-takers for USA, taking three wickets each. Saurabh Netravalkar and Milind Kumar bowled economical spells in the middle, conceding just 69 runs in their 20 overs combined, while taking a wicket each.

Man of the Match

Hardeep Singh made a strong all-round contribution (33 off 36 & 3/69) and won the Man of the Match award.