Vanquished Australia eye winning end to dreadful World Cup campaign

Australia would have been preparing for the Super Eights, but reality has them packing bags after a failed campaign. It's jarring to see Australia eliminated early from a white-ball World Cup, a blot on their enviable heritage. They've now failed to make the semifinals in five of the last six T20 World Cups.

Amid accusations of not taking the tournament seriously, injuries, retirements, and sharp external criticism, Mitchell Marsh's team must play one final match before heading home. While nothing is riding on this game competitively, Australia will want a win for some peace and the consolation of a third-place finish in their group.

Oman, winless so far, will see this as an opportunity for a major upset against the vulnerable former champions.

When: Oman vs Australia, February 20, 7 PM IST
Where: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka

What to expect: Thunderstorms are predicted an hour into the fixture. If rain stays away, conditions should favor high scores. The only other evening game here saw Australia post 181, which Sri Lanka chased down comfortably.

Steve Smith, who flew in as a replacement player, is likely to feature in Australia's final game.

Team News & Probable XIs

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Tim David, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa

Oman: Aamir Kaleem, Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Ashish Odedara/Karan Sonavale, Mohammad Nadeem, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed

Key Stats:

• Oman has the second-most consecutive defeats in T20 World Cup history (9 from 2021).
• Captain Jatinder Singh has scored 1618 runs for Oman at a strike rate of 120.47.
• Australia's T20I form: Before their recent series in India: 16 wins in 19 matches. Since that India series: just 2 wins in 11 matches.

Quote:
"100%, it is an opportunity [playing Australia now]… Australia are not doing well at the moment. As you have rightly said, it is the best time to crush them." – Jatinder Singh, Oman captain.