Oman Pentangular T20I series, 2019: Match 7, Ireland vs Nepal: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 7th T20I of the Oman T20I series will be played between Ireland and Nepal at Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket (Ministry Turf 1) in Al Amarat.

The match starts at 9:30 AM local time (11: 00 AM IST) (5:30 AM GMT).

Match Preview:

The razmataz of the Oman T20I series rolls on and the 7th T20I will see Ireland square off against Nepal. Ireland comes into this game after having achieved a comprehensive 66-run win against Hong Kong. Kevin O’Brien, who became the first Irish batter to score a T20I hundred (124 off 62 balls), was the bedrock of their comprehensive win over Nepal.

Riding on O’Brien’s 124, Ireland posted a match-winning 5-208 after 20 overs which they went on to defend courtsey two-wickets each from Gareth Delany (2-27), Stuart Thompson (2-25) and Boyd Rankin (2-21).

They’ll now face Nepal, who too are coming after notching up two consecutive victories in the tournament. Their last game resulted in a four-wicket win after they successfully chased down 133 set by the Netherlands. The win was spearheaded by Nepal’s bowlers. Both Sandeep Lamichhane (4-20) and KC Karan (4-17) claimed four-wicket each. Karan was instrumental with the bat too, emerging as the second-highest leading run-getter (31* off 14 balls) in an eventual 6-wicket-win.

Weather Condition/Report:

According to the weather report, it is expected to be a bright and sunny day tomorrow. While the humidity is expected to be around 65%, the temperatures will hover between 27-31 degrees.

Pitch Condition/Report:

As has been the trend thus far in the tournament, the pitch has played well comparatively in the second half, and whichever side wins the toss tomorrow will look to the chase.

Average first innings score: 154 (In 12 T20I matches)

Records of chasing teams: Won- 9, Loss- 3

Injury and Availability News:

(Will be added when there’s an update)

Probable Playing XIs:

Ireland

Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Balbirnie, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Harry Tector, Gary Wilson (C), Lorcan Tucker, Simi Singh, Stuart Thompson, Boyd Rankin

Bench: Craig Young, Shane Getkate, George Dockrell, Barry McCarthy

Nepal

Paras Khadka (C), Pawan Sarraf, Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Binod Bhandari (wk), Rohit Paudel, KC Karan, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Abinash Bohara

Bench: Ishan Pandey, Sushan Bhari, Sundeep Jora, Kushal Malla

Top Picks

Ireland: Kevin O’Brien scored a swashbuckling 124 in the last game to set-up a 66-run win for his side. In all, O’Brien has racked up 186 runs in 3 games and will once again be the key to their fortunes tomorrow. Along with O’Brien, Harry Tector (64 runs in 3 games), Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie will be crucial. 

The bowling unit, on the other hand, will be spearheaded by Mark Adair (5 wickets), Stuart Thompson (4 wickets) and Boyd Rankin (3 wickets).

Nepal: Binod Bhandari has been the pick of the Nepal batters thus far. The wicket-keeper has racked up 84 runs across 2 games. Paras Khadka (33 runs) has had a disappointing tournament thus far and the skipper will hope he gets back among the runs tomorrow.

Sandeep Lamichhane (4 wickets) and Karan KC (8 wickets) will lead the bowling attack.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Paras Khadka, Binod Bhandari, Kevin O’Brien

Vice-Captain – Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Harry Tector

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper- Binod Bhandari

Batters –  Kevin O’Brien (C), Harry Tector, Paras Khadka, Aarif Sheikh

All-Rounders – Simi Singh, Gareth Delany, Karan KC (VC)

Bowlers – Stuart Thompson, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper- Binod Bhandari

Batters –  Paul Stirling (C), Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, Paras Khadka 

All-Rounders – Pawan Sarraf, Mark Adair, Gareth Delany (VC)

Bowlers – Stuart Thompson, Sandeep Lamichhane, Boyd Rankin

Expert Advice

Nepal’s bowlers- Sandeep Lamichhane and Karan KC- have had a great tournament thus far. Picking them against Ireland or even making them captain/vice-captain could be worth a punt.

Probable Winners:

Considering the form of both sides, it is expected to be a riveting encounter and a close one too. We pick Nepal as the potential winners, solely because of their duo of Lamichhane and Karan KC.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision