(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Having led Oman to its maiden berth in the ICC World Twenty20 in India next year with a five-wicket win over Namibia in a must-win qualifier on Thursday national team coach Duleep Mendis credited his players and called upon them to brace for 'bigger hurdles'.
In an exclusive chat with Muscat Daily a day after the dream win the former Sri Lankan Test star said on Friday 'The journey has just started for the players. There are bigger hurdles and bigger challenges to overcome and we hope to overcome them. It won't be easy we need to plan well.'
The qualification into the World T20 by the lowest-ranked ICC team - Oman is ranked 29th and plays in Division Five of the World Cricket League - also earned the sultanate side T20 International status.
'Credit to the boys' Mendis said. 'They are a bunch of committed and dedicated players who displayed their potential.'
Oman's stirring display in the ICC World T20 Qualifier in Scotland-Ireland included resounding wins against heavyweight sides like The Netherlands and Afghanistan in the group stages.
Skipper Sultan Ahmed's side crushed Namibia in a crucial playoff to storm into the 2016 event before signing off with a loss to Afghanistan in the fifth-place game on Saturday.
In the qualifying playoff against Namibia in Dublin Oman won by five wickets with an over to spare hunting down 149 with ease. It was apt that Zeeshan
Siddiqui (51 not out in 32 balls) scored the winning runs nonchalantly lifting Craig Williams over cover. No one has done more than Siddiqui who was born in Karachi Pakistan and has played for Oman since 2007 to secure the decisive victory. He turned 36 on Wednesday and an unbeaten half-century in Oman cricket's landmark moment topped off the celebrations.
Mendis said 'Zee (Zeeshan Siddiqui) played a brilliant innings against Namibia. He is a big-occasion player and he came up with a masterful knock.'
The Oman coach said the plan was to bat second against Namibia so that his team could play to its strength. 'Our players like to chase targets and we have a team full of batsmen going right down to No 9' he said.
The players spilled a couple of chances early in the Namibia innings but Mendis explained 'It was a special game the players were certainly tense early in the match as it was their first television appearance of the tournament. There were a few mishaps; deep inside they knew it was a do-or-die match.
'At one stage Namibia looked to score around 160 but I was still confident. Once we restricted them to 148 I was fully confident that we could win despite losing a few quick wickets. 'The plan was to have Jatinder [Singh] drop anchor and he batted smartly. Once our players started picking up singles regularly Namibia's plan went awry. That was the key.'
Looking ahead as the Oman players prepare for the time of their lives in India in March next year Mendis said 'We need to plan properly and cannot take things easy. The main thing is to play in competitions against stronger teams and to do so regularly.
'We need to organise more tours to the Indian sub-continent as the T20 World Cup will be played in India. We may have to play in India and Sri Lanka on a regular basis.'
The coach said the plan to arrive in Cork Ireland on June 15 was the turning point for Oman. 'Arriving here early helped us as the players got acclimatised to the conditions which proved crucial.'
The Oman coach who has also served as Sri Lanka's national selector in the past called upon the corporate employers of his players to give them longer breaks so that they can prepare well for the World T20.
'The second grass ground at Amerat will be ready soon and with the facilities enhanced I am confident that our boys can do well in India. The core of the team will remain the same but as there is still some time left I would also be looking for a new face or two' he said.
Pankaj Khimji Oman Cricket's board member said 'Oman has made history. To make it to the top six is incredible. We are indebted to the boys who have played some superlative cricket - it's them all the way."
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Forget A few lost balls! Oman gets exponential return on investment
Dublin Ireland - Oman's players racked up a US$2500 bill from lost cricket balls during net sessions on its Scotland-Ireland tour but they eventually created a 100-fold return by making it to the World T20 in India where each team will receive a participation fee of US$250000.
On Wednesday afternoon in a small section of Dublin known as The Inch the Oman players gathered for a training session at a tiny cricket ground fenced into the premises of North County Cricket Club ahead of their must-win clash against Namibia.
During the net session on the centre wicket Oman's big-hitting batsmen stayed true to the mantra of practise-how-you-play by launching ball after ball out of sight on the north side of the ground.
When one of the players tried to open a gate to fetch a ball he was stopped by a local official who said behind the fence was private land on which the players were not allowed to trespass.
Jameel Zaidi the Oman team manager broke into a panic. "These are brand new US$125 Kookaburra balls" Zaidi blurted with exasperation.
At least four of the balls went into a thick bush in the no-go zone before the batsmen reined themselves in. According to Zaidi 20 were lost during the team's first two training sessions in Cork a city on the southwest coast of
Republic of Ireland where Oman began its tour of the British Isles on June 15.
A month later US$2500 of lost cricket balls at the start of the tour for a cash-strapped amateur team practising its six-hitting turned out to be a worthwhile expenditure.
"The [Oman Cricket] chairman is here" laughed Zaidi after Oman's historic win over Namibia on Thursday. "He said no issues. I'll get some more balls for you."
Cricinfo
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