Welcome to this Group B clash at Barbados. Weather played spoilsport when Scotland posed a stiff challenge to defending champs England here a couple of days ago. But the forecast seems fine for this game. Australia and Oman kickoff their campaigns. Australia of course are clear favourites for this game, but pitches here at this World Cup haven't been straightforward so no team can take their opponents lightly.
Toss Update -
Oman have won the toss and have opted to field
Pitch Report -
The pitch has been a talking point ever since the Oman spinners strangled the Namibians in what seemed like a paltry run-chase. And Ilyas has already warned the Aussies that it could be very difficult for them in case it plays the way it did in the opening match here. But the Australians are bracing up for it.
Preview -
If anything, it'll be a rare opportunity for the Australians to be in a situation where they're up against a team whose players none of them have ever come across on the field. A proper throwback even to what it used to be like when Test teams would come up against Associate nations in World Cups of a previous generation.
The cliche will be that Oman have nothing to lose and everything to gain by putting on a show against the former champions, who are desperate to start their campaign well in their bid to complete the treble. And their captain Aqib Ilyas said as much in his own impressive press conference. But for the Australians, it'll be a case of getting a bunch of seasoned players who have played a lot of cricket together to just come together one more time as they look to back up their 50-over World Cup win in November with pretty much the same group.
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Can Oman Challenge mighty Australia?
Australia is picking up now. What an over that was! 4 sixes in one over!
2 wickets in 2 balls. Australia is now under pressure.
Australia 50 is up in 8 overs. They are cautious after the fall of Head and now a partnership is forming up between Marsh and warner
Australia's Head goes down after making a shameful 12 runs.