Oman seal final automatic spot in Cricket World Cup Qualifier

Oman secured the final automatic qualification spot for the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier on Wednesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement.

Oman finished fourth in the Cricket World Cup League 2 table, and their final match against the UAE closed the 2024-2026 cycle.

Oman needed either a win or to avoid a heavy defeat to stay ahead of Namibia on net run rate, and they confirmed a top-four finish after passing the 103-run mark.

Oman chose to field first, and Shakeel Ahmed struck twice in the seventh over to make an early breakthrough.

A 65-run partnership between Adeeb Usmani and Rahul Chopra helped the UAE recover, but Oman kept taking wickets, the ICC said.

Basil Hameed scored 43 to help the UAE pass 200, and they finished on 226 for eight from their 50 overs.

Shakeel was the leading bowler for Oman, taking three for 42 from 10 overs.

Oman's chase began poorly, as their top three were dismissed by the 11th over, leaving them on 28 for three.

Hammad Mirza and Vinayak Shukla tried to rebuild the innings, but Aayan Afzal Khan dismissed Shukla and Mirza followed soon after, leaving Oman on 68 for five.

Mujibur Ali and Narayan Saishiv then came together and guided Oman past the 103-run mark, the ICC said.

The USA, Scotland and the Netherlands had already qualified directly by finishing in the top four, and the USA topped the table with 49 points.

Nepal, the UAE, Canada and Namibia, the remaining League 2 teams, will now play in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off, the ICC said.

The Play-off will also include the top two teams from each of the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League groups, with Jersey and Kuwait from Group A and Italy and Uganda from Group B.

The Play-off will decide the final four teams to join the direct entrants at the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, with a place at the 2027 tournament still at stake.