Muscat – Oman U16 cricket team head coach Syed Aamir Kaleem expressed his confidence in his boys as they look forward to a top spot at the 2023 ACC Men’s U16 West Zone Cup from March 24-30 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Organized by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and hosted by the Bahrain Cricket Federation, the tournament includes all six GCC countries. The event is organized after a break of three years.
Besides Oman, the other teams participating in the tournament are United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The round-robin matches, with 35 players per side, will be played under floodlights on the grounds of the Vision Cricket Center in Dubai.
Oman, led by Jeet Shah, meets UAE in their opening game on March 24. They play Bahrain the next day and Saudi Arabia on March 27th. Oman meets Kuwait on March 28 before concluding their season with a game against Qatar on March 30. Wicketkeeper Rahil Habibulla was named the team’s vice-captain.
After a training session at the grounds of the Oman Cricket Academy in Al Amerat, Aamir Kaleem said on Friday: “We have been preparing hard for this tournament over the past month. We have a large group of young and talented cricketers who have performed exceptionally well during the recently concluded national junior season.
“They made it into the national team on merit and showed a lot of talent in local competitions. They have the potential to make it big and I’m confident the team will do very well in the upcoming championship.”
Aamir Kaleem, Oman’s former international cricketer who has long served the country with distinction, added: “We played a number of practice matches and did match simulation training ahead of the tournament, along with regular skill training. We hope for good results as the guys put in a lot of effort. The tournament is a perfect stage for them to perform, giving them the presence and experience needed to prepare them for the bigger stage.
“I look forward to coaching this young talented group of players and I thank Oman Cricket and its board members for the confidence they have shown in me and the lads. We look forward to a top spot in the UAE.”
Oman squad: Jeet Shah (Captain), Rahil Habibulla (Vice-Captain), Prathiesh Ramesh, Devansh Loya, Wajih Abbas, Omindu Medagoda, Giriharan Kuttiraja, Aneek Chakraborty, Aryan Joshi, Kriv Patel, Saumya Sampat, Rishab Gupta, Jayapranesh, Kavish Shah . Head Coach: Syed Aamir Kaleem, Manager: Sher Mohammed.
Matches in Oman: March 24: vs UAE, March 25: vs Bahrain, March 27: vs Saudi Arabia, March 28: vs Kuwait, March 30: vs Qatar.
