A wounded Australian side dismantled Oman by nine wickets in Pallekele on Friday, completing a record-breaking chase in under 10 overs to sign off from a disastrous T20 World Cup campaign. Despite the nature of the victory, the result serves as a hollow consolation for the 2021 champions, who were already eliminated following shock losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa snared 4/21 to bundle Oman out for a meager 104 in 16.2 overs. Skipper Mitchell Marsh then vented his frustration with the bat, racing to an unbeaten 64 off just 33 deliveries to reach the target in 9.4 overs; the joint-fastest chase of a 100-plus total in the tournament’s history.
The dead rubber fixture began with ruthless intent as Xavier Bartlett shattered Aamir Kaleem’s stumps with a superb inswinger on the very first ball of the match. While Glenn Maxwell dropped a regulation catch at second slip shortly after, the Australian attack gave the Associate nation no room to breathe.
Zampa’s introduction in the middle overs proved decisive. The leg-spinner’s variations accounted for four wickets, effectively ending Oman's hopes of a competitive total. Wasim Ali offered the only meaningful resistance for Oman, scoring a gritty 32 off 33 balls, before the innings collapsed under the pressure of Nathan Ellis (1/14) and Marcus Stoinis (1/16).
Record: 108-1 in 9.4 overs. Joint-fastest chase of 100+ runs in T20 World Cup history.
Standout: Adam Zampa (4/21) moved past his disappointing performance against Sri Lanka to claim Player of the Match.
Captain’s knock: Mitchell Marsh struck 4 sixes and 7 fours, finishing with a strike rate of 193.93.
Historical low: This marks the first time in 17 years that Australia has been eliminated in the preliminary stage of a global ICC event.
While the victory spares Australia the indignity of a loss to an Associate side, it does little to quiet the calls for a "full-scale review" of the national T20 setup. Finishing third in their group behind Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka is being viewed as a significant failure for a side that entered the tournament as one of the heavy favorites.
It’s a bitterly disappointed change room, we’ve built for two years to get here and, unfortunately, we didn’t play our best in a couple of games we needed to. We’re a very disappointed group.
Mitchell Marsh, Australian Captain
