In an incredible display of hitting, Oman smashed 20 sixes in their quota of six overs against England in the Hong Kong Super Sixes 'Bowl' competition clash today (November 2).
Oman and England met in the fourth match of the 'Bowl' competition, a lower level of the Hong Kong Super Sixes tournament where the four teams that finished third in the group stage compete.
Winning the toss, England sent Oman in to bat. That was the extent of their winnings in the six-a-side clash. After a first-ball single, Oman hit three sixes and a four in the first over, bowled by Ed Barnard. Vinayak Shukla was the destroyer-in-chief. He then hit Jordan Thompson for four more sixes and a boundary off the first five balls of the second over to reach 51 off just 10 balls and retire out, as the rules of the tournament dictate.
Also read: Former England all-rounder smashes six sixes in an over against India in Hong Kong Super Sixes
If one 10-ball 51 was not enough, England were about to encounter another similar assault, this time by No.3 Hassnain Shah. Shah hit Ravi Bopara for four sixes in the third over to take Oman to staggering 90 in three overs. The other opener, Asif Khan, who had faced just two balls for two runs till then, joined the act, hitting two sixes in the fourth over and two more in the fifth. Samit Patel, the former England all-rounder, bowled the final over of the innings, and conceded four more sixes as Oman finished on 159-0. Asif remained unbeaten on 44 off 16 balls.
The four Oman batters who batted, combined to hit 20 sixes in six overs to go with six fours, taking the boundary count to 26. So far, this is the highest total scored in the 2024 Hong Kong Super Sixes.
Here's how the Oman innings went:
| Over No (⬇️), Ball No (➡️) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 2 | Wd, 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Wd, 1 | 4 | Wd, 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | 0 | 6 | Wd, 0 | 2 | Wd, 6 | NB + 0, 0 |
| 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 | Wd, 4 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
In response, England could only manage 92-4 from their six overs, losing the game by a whopping 67 runs. Barnard was the only English batter to go past 15, scoring 57 off 16 balls, hitting nine sixes.
Interestingly, the international teams of the two countries had met at the 2024 T20 World Cup where England had completely annihilated Oman, bowling them out for 47 and chasing it down in 3.1 overs.
Also read: Explained: Why are India playing despite being knocked out of Hong Kong Super Sixes
Overall, the match witnessed 32 sixes and seven fours in 12 overs.
England will now face New Zealand while Oman will face India in their last 'Bowl' competition league games tomorrow.
Image credit: Hong Kong Sixes (@HongKongSixes)
