When we count the cricketing countries, no one would usually consider the region of the Middle East. So, it is no wonder that even the hard-core cricket fans are unaware of the inspiring journey of the Oman Cricket team.
The Oman cricket team is an associate member of the International Cricket Council. The team consists of players from different countries such as India and Pakistan, who are settled in Oman. Cricket binds all of them together, and they play as a team representing Oman.
The history of cricket in Oman dates back to the times when Oman was a British Protectorate. In Oman, cricket was initially very much celebrated among its South Asian immigrant population. However, over the period of time, native Omanis also got involved in the game, giving Oman cricket more strength and visibility. The rise of Oman cricket to the international level was a remarkable one. In their nascent period during 2016, they began with playing small teams like Nigeria, Tanzania etc. When we look back at their fascinating cricketing career now, they have done amazingly well getting established as an ODI nation in the last four years.
Till 2014 Oman was an affiliate member in ICC. In the ICC Annual Conference of 2014 happened in Melbourne, Australia, the Oman Cricket Board was upgraded to the status of an associate member. At the international level, they have also played T20 matches. They played their first T20 match on July 25 2015 against Afghanistan in Dublin. They also made their first T20 world cup appearance in 2016. In 2016 they qualified for the T20 World Cup of that year. In the same tournament, they won against Ireland by two wickets. In fact, the growth of the Oman cricket team from 2016 to 2020 is notable. In terms of their ICC ranking, they moved from Division 5 to Division 2. In 2019, along with the United States, they gained ODI status until 2022.
Oman also has their own Women’s cricket team who made their historic entry to the 2020 World Cup in Australia. The women’s team of Oman made their international debut at the 2009 ACC Women’s Twenty20 Championship happened in Malaysia.
