Travis Head got Australia off to a typical explosive start with a boundary on the second ball of the match, but his momentum was short-lived as he departed in the third over. Skipper Mitchell Marsh and David Warner then exercised caution on a sticky pitch, advancing the score to 50/1 after eight overs.
However, Marsh succumbed to the pressure, getting out for a tame 14 off 21 balls to Mehran Khan, followed by Glenn Maxwell falling on the very next delivery to a stunning catch by Aqib Ilyas. This double blow stalled the scoring rate, leaving Australia at 80/3 after 14 overs.
Marcus Stoinis decided to break the shackles, with his first big shot benefiting from a fortunate slip by Ayaan Khan, who carried the ball over the boundary after an excellent catch attempt. Stoinis capitalized on this luck, hitting three more sixes in the over.
He quickly reached a half-century off 28 balls, and Warner followed suit, getting to his fifty in 44 balls just three deliveries later. By the time Oman broke their 102-run partnership in the penultimate over, the damage was done, and Australia posted a strong total of 164/5.
In response, Mitchell Starc’s signature inswinger dismissed Pratik Athavale for a golden duck in the first over, setting the tone for the chase. Nathan Ellis took two more wickets during the powerplay, and Starc struck again in the eighth over.
After such celebration, Harshit Rana would have been banned for the entire IPL season 😹 pic.twitter.com/3PsG6Skuqa
— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) June 6, 2024
With the scoring effectively stalled, Starc added another wicket soon after the halfway mark, and Adam Zampa reached his 300th T20 wicket, leaving Oman at 57/6 after 13 overs. Despite the match being out of reach, Ayaan and Mehran showed valiant fighting spirit, hitting four sixes and helping Oman avoid a complete collapse, although they still fell well short of the target.
