AUS vs OMA | Bison and Bull charge clinical Australia to elementary victory in T20 World Cup opener

Brief score: AUS 164/5 (20) [Stoinis 67*(36), Warner 56(51); Mehran 2/38(4)] defeat OMA 125/9 (20) [Ayaan 36(30), Mehran 27(16); Stoinis 3/19(3)] by 39 runs

Travis Head got Australia off to a trademark crackling start with a boundary on the second ball of the match but his charge did not last long as he departed in the third over. Skipper Mitchell Marsh and David Warner thereafter exercised caution on a sticky surface to tick the scoreboard along to 50/1 after eight overs. However, the former buckled under the pressure to hole out against Mehran Khan for a tame 21-ball 14 and Glenn Maxwell followed suit on the very next delivery, courtesy of an Aqib Ilyas blinder. The double blow put a firm brake on the scoring rate and the Kangaroos found themselves reeling at 80/3 after 14 overs when Marcus Stoinis decided to break the shackles. His first attempt to go big was aided by a huge slice of fortune with Ayaan Khan carrying the ball across the rope after an excellent grab but the Bison needed no second invitation as three more maximums followed in the over. Before long, the all-rounder had brought up a 28-ball half-century and Warner got to the mark from 44 balls three deliveries later. By the time Oman managed to snap the 102-run stand in the penultimate over, the damage had already been done and Australia posted a handsome total of 164/5 on the board.

In response, Mitchell Starc's signature inswinger dispatched Pratik Athavale for a golden duck in the first over which set the tone for the rest of the run-chase. Two more scalps followed in the powerplay with Nathan Ellis as the beneficiaries, and the former struck again in the eighth over. With the scoring having essentially come to a standstill, Starc added to his tally soon after the halfway mark followed by Adam Zampa getting to the 300 mark in T20 cricket to leave the score reading 57/6 after 13 overs. Even though the match was already a lost cause, Ayaan and Meran showcased valiant fighting spirit to smash four maximums and help Oman avoid getting bowled out albeit they fell well short of the target. 

What a celebration!

Good win

perfect

Superb

So many options

outstanding

Big upset

Have some respect

Brilliant

Stoinis day

Not enough