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Follow UsIt couldn’t have been more eerie than this one in terms of similarities.
Be it the runs, the target, the bowling plans, or the execution, everything was almost a mirror image of the famous super over between Nepal and Oman. Nepal got to 184 in that clash, and Oman needed heroics towards the end from Naseem Khushi to take the game down to the super over.
That’s where Bilal Khan became a hero for Oman in Kirtipur. But here in Barbados, the same Bilal turned out to be a villain, as Oman went down in an almost excruciating manner against Namibia, who, guess what, scored 21 runs in the super over. Oman could only score 10 and they finally understood what Nepal went through that famous day in Kirtipur.
So what did Bilal do right that day, and where did he go wrong today?
Oman’s plans in Kirtipur against Nepal
Oman’s score: 21/0
Nepal’s score: 10/1
A few things must be understood before heading into that super over. Bilal was Oman’s bowling hero on that day, with figures of 3/26. The only bowler who outbowled him that day was Aqib Ilyas, with figures of 2/22.
So, what was Bilal’s plan in the first 20 overs that day?
Bilal’s plan that day was to mix his length and line up to a level where he was trying to take the ball away from the right-hander’s reach and curving the ball into the left-hander. His plans mostly revolved around the half-volley area at the death, where he bowled 46.2% of his balls.
Did it change in the super over?
Come the super over, Bilal was accurate and trusted the yorkers to do the job. In a near-perfect over, the left-arm pacer nailed his yorkers, conceding just 10 runs in the super over.
If you look at the execution, it was near perfect, with just six runs off four yorkers. Nepal’s Abinash Bohra, too, tried to bowl the yorkers, but his execution was way off, something that led to him conceding 21 runs earlier in the one-over stand-off.
Yorkers are quite a tricky gravy, and Nepal understood it that day.
Oman’s almost-perfect defence (vs Namibia)
Defending a tricky 109, Oman had to nail their plans to the t, and that’s what they did, with some spectacular execution from Mehran Khan, who finished with figures of 3/7.
David Weise tried his best to get Namibia over the line, but Mehran’s execution was such that he couldn’t elevate the ball.
Mehran stayed as far away as possible from the full length, bowling just two deliveries 4m or fuller. He tried to hit the deck hard on a 'two-paced' surface and used that to his fullest advantage, bowling at around 114 kmph. You could see it in his dismissals as well. Zane Green tried to scoop a non-existent full delivery while even a well-set Jan Frylinck was done by the zip-off a slightly shorter length.
How about Bilal Khan?
Bilal’s plans, too, weren’t too different. However, he did bowl a whopping 20% of his deliveries in the fuller area, where, incidentally, singles became an easy option. 41.7% of his deliveries at the death were either half-volleys or yorkers, but interestingly, his execution was ON POINT!
Even then, his figures were 1/25 in four overs as the game went into a super over. A point to note is that his pace was almost seven-eight kmphs quicker than Mehran's, which made it easier.
So, why did Ilyas turn to Bilal and not Mehran in the super over?
There was never a doubt that Ilyas was going to turn towards Bilal.
Since the start of 2023, Bilal has bowled the most overs for Oman at the death (16-20), bowling a staggering 43.4 overs. Meanwhile, Mehran, the flavour of the day, had only bowled two overs, with figures of 2/21.
Bilal also is their most trusted bowler in that situation, with 20 wickets, averaging 17 with an economy of 7.8. What’s his usual plan at the death? 66.2% of his deliveries are half-volley and upwards (yorkers + full tosses). But look carefully; his economy rate switches between 8.6 and 7.3 when it isn't nailed perfectly.
What were Bilal’s plans in the super over?
Two different modus operandi: Bilal always trusts his yorkers and fuller length, which was visible in the super over when he tried to nail that yorker. But Namibian batters were well aware of that plan and moved to a good extent around the crease. 
First ball, Wiese moved around before crunching that ball towards a vacant point region for a four. The next one was a full toss which travelled a long mile. Gerhard Erasmus, who became aware of Bilal’s plans, moved around to sweep him for a four before guiding one through the third man region for another four.
He didn’t execute two of those six deliveries, and Namibia cashed in on that with ten runs. The biggest factor, however, was that Bilal had pace, which made it slightly easier for the batters to line up. The second was that his field was set so that it became predictable that he would bowl wide yorkers. Unlike Wiese, who mixed his lines up. If you remember, in Kirtipur, Bilal hit the stumps more often, making it tough for the Nepal batters.
“I think Bilal is one of the best bowlers at associate level, but there are days when you don't execute. He was very clear and we were very clear that he should bowl. But he didn't execute and the batsman did well. That is cricket, it happens,” Ilyas said in the post-match presentation.
Yorkers are perhaps one of the toughest options at death, and like Bohra the other day, Bilal realised it today. While Oman did trust their death-over specialist, his execution was way off point.
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