Bangladesh have been the overall favourites to reach the Super-10 of the World T20, which starts Tuesday. They were pitted in a tough group, with Ireland and the Netherlands being close contenders as well, but it is Oman, who still have a chance of qualifying Sunday when they take on Bangladesh at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
Rain has played spoilsport in the World T20 qualifiers, and the Bangladesh-Oman match could also be washed out as it has been raining heavily over the past couple of days. If there is no match, Bangladesh will reach the Super-10 stage as they (0.40) have a better run-rate than Oman (0.28)
But, if the rain gods stay way, one can expect a thrilling encounter as it is a do-or-die game for both Bangladesh and Oman, with the latter being underdogs. Both teams will be eager to go out in the middle, slog it out, entertain fans and justify their qualification.
Bangladesh have a superior team compared to Oman, with players such as Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib-Al-Hasan and Mahmuddulah in their line-up. These players have proved themselves at the international stage as well. And against the inexperienced Oman players, they could well wreak havoc.
Bangladesh have only played one game in the World T20 qualifiers, as their second game against Ireland was washed out. In their only game so far, Bangladesh defeated the Netherlands by eight runs. Iqbal, with his 58-ball 83, played a huge role in this victory.
Oman have a huge task on their hands to contain the strong-looking batting line-up of Bangladesh, who can take the attack to the opposition. Batsmen such as Soumya Sarkar and Iqbal, if they get their act going, can make life tough for Oman.
On the other hand, Oman, whose match was washed out against the Netherlands, played a wonderful game of cricket to defeat Ireland and create a huge upset in a last-over thriller. Oman will be keen to come up with a repeat performance against Bangladesh and reach the super-10 round of the World T20, which could be one of their historic achievements as well.
For this to happen, they need their players to stand up and deliver. Unlike Bangladesh, Oman do not have any big names, but players such as Jitender Singh, Khawar Ali and Zeeshan Maqsood can be expected to perform.
Irrrespective of whether Oman qualify, they have showed that Oman cricket is on the rise with their performance against Ireland, chasing 154 runs, .
Where to watch live
Bangladesh vs Oman is set to begin at 7.30 p.m. IST (2 p.m. GMT, 9 a.m. ET), with Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD1, Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD2 providing live TV coverage of the match in India and the rest of the subcontinent. Viewers from the India and South Asia can watch Bangladesh vs Oman by live streaming online on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Bangladesh TV will also broadcast the Bangladesh vs Oman live in Bangladesh. Sky Sports 2will show the match live in the UK and Ireland, while the action can also be live streamed on Watch Sky Sports andSky Go.
OSN Sports Cricket HD andOSN Play are the places to be to watch the WT20 match live in the Middle East and North Africa.
Audience in South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa can watch Bangladesh vs Oman live on SuperSport, with the online live stream optionSuperSport Live Video.
Willow TV and Willow TV Online will broadcast Bangladesh vs Oman live in the US and Canada.
Fox Sportswill show the WT20 game live in Australia, while the live streaming option is on Foxtel.
