USA's death overs batting and bowling trumped Oman as Harmeet Singh and Sanjay Krishnamurthi sparked USA to a solid finish in the first innings before Jessy Singh's bowling in the Oman chase denied the visitors. 

File photo credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
A late rally in Oman’s chase from an unlikely source gave USA a scare, but the home side held off Sufyan Mehmood’s valiant effort in the end to secure a tight nine-run win in the final ODI of the home Cricket World Cup League Two tri-series at Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida. The 33-year-old Mehmood entered the match with four wickets and 63 runs in nine career List A appearances in a journeyman career since making his debut in 2009. But after taking 3 for 58 in the first innings, he scored 72 off 51 balls after coming in at No. 8 in Oman’s chase of USA’s first innings total of 293 for 8 before he was the ninth man out boldly attempting to scoop Jessy Singh in the 48^th over at a time when Oman needed 21 off 14 balls to win. 
 
Oman were behind for a majority of the chase after USA’s bowlers pinned them down early to build pressure. Saurabh Netravalkar claimed his 100^th career ODI wicket off his first ball of the day in the second over when Aamir Kaleem loosely flicked to Harmeet Singh at deep fine leg, who dove forward for a sharp catch to make it 10 for 1. Oman got a reprieve when captain Jatinder Singh, who scored a century in Oman’s Super Over win over USA earlier in the tri-series, was dropped on 17 at midwicket in the ring by Shadley van Schalkwyk off the bowling of Milind Kumar in the sixth over. The partnership continued until the 16^th over when Jatinder was sold out by Mujibur Ali to end a 54-run partnership and Jatinder’s innings at 42. Mujibur hit a full delivery from Jessy toward mid-on and set off before changing his mind. By that point though, Jatinder had already committed to the run and Milind’s throw at the non-striker’s stumps had the Oman captain several yards short. 
 
Harmeet entered in the 19^th and after two wides, he dismissed Mujibur with his first legal delivery, inducing a slog sweep to Shayan Jahangir at deep midwicket for 19 to make it 84 for 3. USA caught a break in the 24^thwhen Mohammad Nadeem was given out lbw for 14 to Milind to make it 111 for 4 despite replays indicating a clear bottom edge and redirection into the pads off an attempted sweep. Jessy’s first wicket of the day came in the 28^th over when he yorked Aryan Bisht for 4 to make it 129 for 5. 
 
At that stage, Oman were well behind the required run rate but began to fight back through Hammad Mirza, who brought up a 51-ball half-century in the 30^th by flicking Jessy off his pads through fine leg for a boundary. However, he was bowled by Harmeet in the following over on the next ball he faced as his attempted sweep went awry to make it 155 for 6. 
 
Sufyan entered and along with Vinayak Shukla continued to counterattack as USA struggled in the extreme Florida heat and humidity. Sufyan took on Nosthush Kenjige’s left-arm spin, driving him for six in both the 36^thand 38^th overs. The pair added 78 in just under 11 overs before Shukla went in the same manner as Mirza for 46 off 37 balls, bowled trying to sweep Harmeet, to make it 233 for 7 in the 42^nd. Sufyan brought up a 37-ball maiden ODI half-century in the next over by tapping Jessy into midwicket for a single. 
 
Even though the required run rate was now very manageable with 43 runs needed off 36 balls, wickets in hand ensured USA’s bowlers kept Oman under pressure. Jessy was brought back in the 46^th over to bowl his remaining three overs held back for the death and the strategy paid off for USA. Hasnain Shah was given lbw for 11 playing down the wrong line three balls into the 46^th. Sufyan struck back against Harmeet in the next over by clearing the ropes for his third six as Oman needed 28 from 22 balls. 
 
But it was the last boundary they would score in the chase. Unable to find the rope and with the prospect of facing a stingy Netravalkar in the 49^th, Sufyan opted to go for a risk against Jessy in the 48^th but paid the price for walking too far across his stumps on his attempted scoop, leaving them exposed for Jessy to connect with his third wicket. The tail-end pair of Shakeel Ahmed and Samay Shrivastava were left with 21 to get off 13 balls and whittled it down to 14 off the final over against Jessy, from which they could only manage a further four singles to end on 284 for 9. 
 
Jessy ended with 3 for 64 in his 10 while Harmeet claimed 3 for 69. Netravalkar was superb to end with 1 for 36 off 10 while Milind was USA’s most economical bowler on the day, returning 1 for 33 off 10. Kenjige (0 for 42 off six) and van Schalkwyk (0 for 37 off four) rounded out USA’s bowling card on the day. 
 
Van Schalkwyk was USA’s only lineup change as the allrounder came in for Andries Gous, which forced a batting order reshuffle after USA won the toss and chose to bat first. Shayan Jahangir was bumped up from the middle order to open with Smit Patel and the pair put on 69 for the first wicket before Jahangir fell in the first over after the Powerplay to Sufyan, who entered the attack and struck with his third ball inducing a shoveled drive taken by Bisht charging in from the long-off rope for 37. Smit fell to Kaleem’s left-arm spin in the 16^th for 41 after he closed his bat face too early on an attempted flick to the leg side which resulted in a low return catch to make it 88 for 2. 
 
USA captain Monank Patel became Kaleem’s second victim when he was bowled through the gate for 26 after misreading the turn to make it 134 for 3. Milind fell for 11 to Shrivastava in the 32^nd, playing back and struck deep in his crease for an easy lbw decision to make it 161 for 4. Throughout the wickets falling at one end, Sai Mukkamalla remained steady and brought up a 60-ball half-century with a single off Bisht in the 37^th. 
 
A momentum shifting sequence came to fruition across the 40^th and 41^st overs that would play a major factor in the result and helped secure the Player of the Match award for Harmeet as well. Harmeet latched onto a juicy full toss from Kaleem on the last ball of the 40^th and belted it for six. After Mukkamalla took a single against Hasnain’s medium pace to start the 41^st, Harmeet came back on strike and pulled the next two balls over fine leg for four before driving the next ball through extra cover to complete a hat-trick of fours as USA took 19 runs in the space of five balls. The stand between the two reached 59 before Harmeet fell in the 42^nd, slog-sweeping Shakeel to deep midwicket for 33 off 36 to make it 220 for 5. Mukkamalla was then foxed by a slower ball from Sufyan, who had him way out in front of a leg side heave to trap him lbw for 73 in the 45^th to make it 244 for 6. 
 
Van Schalkwyk punched a straight six off Sufyan in the 47^th, then edged behind a drive on the next ball for 11 to make it 258 for 7. Jessy tried slogging Shakeel’s left-arm spin in the 48^th but was bowled for 8 to make it 270 for 8 with 12 balls to go. 
 
But that was just enough time for Sanjay Krishnamurthi to kick into high gear. With only the tail alongside him, Krishnamurthi cleverly farmed the strike for nine balls in the final two overs, drilling a six off Sufyan in the 49^thand then one more off Shakeel in the 50^th as USA scored a crucial 23 runs off the final two overs. Krishnamurthi ended on 40 not out off 27 balls and could easily have been a choice for Player of the Match had Harmeet not followed up his knock with three wickets in the field. 
 
Aside from Sufyan’s figures, the left-arm spin duo of Shakeel and Kaleem took 2 for 52 and 2 for 43 off 10 and nine overs respectively. Shrivastava ended with 1 for 39 off his nine overs of legspin. 
 
The win moved USA two points clear of the Netherlands at the top of the Cricket World Cup League Two points table as USA now as 28 points from 20 matches with 16 more still to be played. USA’s next scheduled action in Cricket World Cup League Two is set for October when they are due to travel to the UAE for a tri-series that also involves Nepal.