T20 World Cup | Tilak Varma gives an update on Abhishek’s fitness and mindset during rehab
Oman’s chase never gained momentum as early blows left them reeling under scoreboard pressure, eventually restricting them to 120/9.Captain Jatinder Singh was cleaned out by Dushmantha Chameera in the opener and Aamir Kalee and Hammad Mirza departed for single-figure scores soon after as Oman slumped to 36/3 in the Powerplay. Chameera struck twice with the new ball to finish with figures of 2/19, while Maheesh Theekshana was economical and incisive, returning 2/11 from his four overs.There was a brief counter-attack when Wasim Ali bowled Dushan Hemanth and smashed two consecutive sixes to lift Oman to 75/3 after 11 overs. But the resistance was short-lived as Oman lost three wickets in six balls to slip to 91/6.Theekshana sparked the collapse by dismissing the smooth Wasim for 27 off 20 balls, caught by Kusal. A direct hit from Kamil Mishara was run out by Vinayak Shukla in the very next delivery before Kusal produced a blistering slam to remove Jiten Ramanandi for a golden duck.Mohammad Nadeem, who returned after missing the opener, waged a lone battle with a valiant half-century, the 43-year-old bringing up his third T20I fifty in 71 matches.Earlier, Rathnayake made amends for a disappointing World Cup debut against Ireland, where he fell for 5, by producing a scintillating maiden T20 World Cup fifty off just 24 balls. The 23-year-old hit eight fours and a six to surpass his previous best of 40 at the venue earlier this month.Rathnayake and Kusal added a brisk 94 off 52 balls, keeping the run rate above nine through the middle overs while rotating the strike effectively, with 40 of Sri Lanka’s 96 runs at the half coming through singles and doubles.Kusal, who played the role of senior partner perfectly, punished the Omani spinners for width and hit seven fours before being run out in the penultimate over.Shanaka, who was struggling to pile up with scores of 1, 4 and 0, turned the tide of death with a stunning 19-ball fifty – the fastest by a Sri Lankan in T20 World Cup history. He split Nadeem Khan and Sufyan Mehmood with a flurry of boundaries and sixes before falling to Kusal in the 19th over.Kamindu Mendis (19 off 7 balls) provided the finishing touches, hammering two consecutive sixes off Shah Faisal as Sri Lanka plundered 65 runs in the last four overs to seal victory.The 2014 champions now sit top of Group B with two wins from two matches ahead of Australia and Zimbabwe who have one win each.