Before ICC World Twenty20 started, very few would have picked Oman as contenders to qualify into the Super 10’s of the tournament. But the way Oman has played in the tournament so far has been nothing less than impressive.

In the 12th and the last match of World Twenty20 qualifiers, Bangladesh will take on Oman in a decider at Dharamshala. The winner of the match will make it to the Super 10 stage in Group 2 of ICC World Twenty20, where they will be up against other giants including Australia, India, New Zealand and Pakistan. Both Bangladesh and Oman have remained unbeaten in the tournament so far.

Bangladesh carries forward their good form of Asia Cup, where they lost the final against India. In their first match, Bangla Tigers defeated Netherlands by 8 runs. Tamim Iqbal’s half-century and Al-Amin, Shakib’s bowling spell were the highlights from the match for Bangladeshi side. The second match against Ireland was washed out due to heavy rain when Bangladesh was going all guns blazing at 94/2 in 8 overs. A lot will depend on Tamim, Shakib, Taskin, Soumya Sarkar and Al-Amin to take Bangladesh forward.

On the other hand, associate nation Oman is riding on a high after their good show against Ireland. Oman clinched a thriller in the final over of the match by two wickets against a solid Irish side. Their second match against Netherlands was also washed out due to bad weather conditions. To restrict the strong Bangladeshi batting line-up, Oman will rely heavily on Ajay Lalcheta and Munis Ansari in the bowling department. The opening combination of Zeeshan Maqsood and Khawar Ali can give Oman a good start at the top, and Amir Ali can don the hat of finisher to take them to a good score.

But, a lot will depend on the mood of the Dharamshala weather, which can play a spoilsport in this knockout clash. Plenty of rain is already anticipated on the match day, in that case, Bangladesh will walk past Oman in the Super 10 on the basis of better net run rate. An interesting fact, this will be the first cricket match between Bangladesh and Oman at any level. Hope the rain gods will stay quiet and we all will witness another thriller before moving to the next stage of the tournament.