Picture Credit: Twitter/@SLCOfficial
After so many controversies and drama around Sri Lanka Cricket for last few months, things are finally back on track for the Asian giants in the sport. 18 first-team players have notably signed the national contracts till the end of this year and the national side will have all of them available for the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup.
However, the Lankans are leaving no stones unturned in preparing for the mega event. They are all set to welcome South Africa for a bilateral white-ball series where they will compete in 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is from September 2 to September 14. With no further assignments in lead up to the World Cup, Sri Lanka have decided to make use of the period as they have decided to travel to Oman for preparations.
Perfect practice for Sri Lanka & Oman
Both Sri Lanka and Oman will have to play the qualifying round to go through to Super 12 stage in the T20 World Cup. The conditions in Oman and UAE are quite similar which will certainly help the teams to get used to the pitches and weather. This is why they have decided to play two-match T20I series against Oman which is going to be beneficial for both teams in lead up to the qualifiers.
“Sri Lanka will be playing two T20 matches against Oman during the tour and we are extremely pleased that they decided to come to Oman on their way to the UAE,” stated Duleep Mendis who is a former Sri Lanka cricketer and current coach of Oman.
Both the teams are placed in different groups
While some fans would wonder if it is the right idea to show your potential to opposition side just few days before the mega event, it must be noted that Sri Lanka and Oman have been placed in different groups for the qualifying round. The two groups are as follows:
- Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands and Namibia
- Group B: Oman, Bangladesh, Scotland and Papua New Guinea
Mendis added that they were glad that Oman will be getting the opportunity to play a full-strength Sri Lanka squad which will participate in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup. "The two T20 matches will help both teams as Sri Lanka will have to get acclimatized before reaching the UAE and Oman would have a crack at a top side just before the tournament starts,” he concluded.
The two T20 matches are expected to be played at OC Ground 1 in Al Amerat on October 7th and October 9th.