Muscat – A gripping contest went down to the wire before hosts Namibia clinched a dramatic one-wicket victory over Oman with three balls to spare, handing the visitors their only defeat of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 ODI tri-series in Windhoek on Friday.

Chasing 219, Namibia held their nerve to reach 223/9 in 49.3 overs, with Zane Green producing a match-winning unbeaten 40 off 35 balls. The wicketkeeper-batter finished the game in the final over with a six off leg-spinner Samay Shrivastava, capping a thrilling finale after Oman had fought back brilliantly through Muhammed Imran’s career-best five-wicket haul (5/39).

The result denied Oman a clean sweep but still marked a successful tour under head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni, who took charge only last month.

In his first assignment, Oman secured five points — registering two wins, one no result and one defeat — to move to 29 points from 24 matches and third in the overall standings, remaining firmly in contention for a place in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, with the top four sides from League 2 progressing to the 10-team event.

The World Cup Qualifier will determine the final teams for the 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Earlier, Oman posted 218/9 after being reduced to 47/4, recovering through a composed and vital innings from Hammad Mirza. The right-hander struck 81 off 102 balls, hitting seven fours, anchoring the innings under pressure before being run out.

Mirza rebuilt through key partnerships, adding 86 runs for the fifth wicket with Vinayak Shukla (39 off 67), followed by a 37-run stand with Wasim Ali (25) and a further 26 runs with Jiten Ramanandi (16).

Jack Brassell led Namibia’s bowling effort with an outstanding 4/22 in his 10 overs, while Ruben Trumpelmann supported with 2/38.

Namibia’s chase began cautiously, managing just 15 runs in the first 10 overs, but an 81-run second-wicket stand between Willem Myburgh (32) and Jan Frylinck (84 off 93 balls) steadied the innings. Frylinck then combined with Gerhard Erasmus (26) in a 52-run third-wicket partnership to keep the hosts on course.

Oman roared back through Imran, who produced a spell of exceptional quality in only his third ODI. The pacer claimed 5/39, ripping through the middle and lower order to reduce Namibia to 200/9 in the 48th over and swing momentum dramatically.

However, JJ Smit’s side found a way to hold on.