CWC Qualifiers: Oman's Aqib Ilyas clocks his sixth ODI fifty
Oman batter Aqib Ilyas slammed a handy fifty against Ireland in their opening fixture of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers at the Bulawayo Athletic Club Ground. This was Ilyas's sixth ODI fifty as his knock of 52 came in 49 deliveries. It included eight boundaries. When he was dismissed, Oman were 103/2 as they chased the target of 282 set by Ireland.
A handy knock from Ilyas
The 30-year-old batter came to the crease when Oman lost their opening batter, Jatinder Singh, early. Ilyas and Kashyap Prajapati added a 94-run partnership, which steadied the ship for Oman in this run chase. The duo took the total beyond the 100-run mark. However, George Dockrell baited him to play the slog sweep and the plan worked as he was caught at fine leg.
A look at his ODI numbers
Courtesy of his fifty, Ilyas has raced to 864 runs in 19 ODIs at an impressive average of 57.60. Besides, six fifties, the 30-year-old has slammed two centuries in this format. He is the third-highest run-scorer for Oman in ODIs, only behind Jatinder and Zeeshan Maqsood. His highest ODI score of 109* came against Nepal in 2020. His other ton came against the USA.
First-ever Omani batter to smoke a ton in ODI cricket
Ilyas created history when he smoked an unbeaten 109 against Nepal in February 2020 at a Tri-Nation Series. He became the first Omani batter to register an ODI century. He slammed another ton just two days later against the USA.
