Oman have confirmed a 15-strong squad for next February’s T20 World Cup, appointing seasoned opener Jatinder Singh as captain and handing the wicketkeeping gloves – and the vice-captaincy – to Vinayak Shukla.
The headline call is the absence of 43-year-old all-rounder Aamir Kaleem. He had chipped in with a half-century during the Asia Cup but still misses out, the selectors preferring to freshen things up with five changes from that regional campaign.
Coming in are Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Jay Odedra, Shafiq Jan and Jiten Ramanandi. Three of that quintet – Ramanandi, Odedra and Wasim – featured in the World Cup qualifiers, while Jan and Sonavale earned their places through performances at the Asia Cup Rising Stars event. All five add a bit more pace and middle-order depth, areas Oman felt were thin in recent tournaments.
There is no surprise about Jatinder’s elevation. The 37-year-old is Oman’s leading run-scorer in T20 internationals and, by some margin, their most experienced hand. He actually missed the previous World Cup after falling out of form at the wrong time, so the promotion feels like a full-circle moment.
Oman have been grouped with co-hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe and Ireland (Group B). They open against Zimbabwe on 9 February – a fixture the management privately see as the best chance of an early win before tougher assignments arrive.
Squad in full: Jatinder Singh (capt), Vinayak Shukla (vice-capt & wk), Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmad, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Faisal Shah, Nadeem Khan, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra, Shafiq Jan, Ashish Odedra, Jiten Ramanandi, Hasnain Ali Shah.
On paper it looks like a balanced group, though a touch light on left-arm spin after Kaleem’s omission. As ever, much will depend on Jatinder’s runs at the top and how well the newer seamers settle under World Cup pressure.
