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Oman on Wednesday named batting all-rounder Aqib Ilyas as their new captain while announcing the squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup, beginning on 1 June.
Ilyas replaced Zeeshan Maqsood as skipper, who had led the team since the 2016 T20 World Cup. The 36-year-old was deputy to Sultan Ahmed in Oman's T20 World Cup debut back in 2016, and led the side at the 2021 edition which they co-hosted with UAE. "I am truly honoured to be entrusted with the captaincy. It's a huge responsibility, and I aim to lead the team to many victories. We are preparing rigorously for the World Cup, and the recent ACC Premier Cup has provided us with invaluable preparation," Aqib said as quoted by ICC. The majority of the group that reached the final of the last ACC Premier Cup is present, with eight players of the 2021 T20 World Cup squad joining the 2024 campaign. Bilal Khan, the left-arm yorker specialist, will lead the bowling team once again, with Kaleemullah and Fayyaz Butt, as well as Shakeel Ahmad, the left-arm orthodox, providing support with the ball. Shakeel, a relative newbie to the team, has joined all-rounders Aqib and Zeeshan in Oman's spin flotilla. With the bat, Kashyap Prajapati and Naseem Khushi are expected to be deployed ahead of Aqib and Zeeshan at No.3 and No.4, respectively, with wicket-keeper batsman Pratik Athavale and Ayaan Khan likely to participate further down. There was no room in the squad for opener Jatinder Singh or Samay Shrivastav. Oman squad: Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale (wk), Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi (wk), Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad. Reserves: Jatinder Singh, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Mehmood and Jay Odedra. (ANI)
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