Oman to bowl against Papua New Guinea in T20 World Cup opener

Oman skipper Zeeshan Maqsood won the toss and elected to bowl against debutants Papua New Guinea in the opening match of the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday.

Oman have the home advantage in just their second T20 World Cup and Maqsood believes the spinners in the team can do the trick at Al Amerat ground.

"The pitch looks dry and we have spin bowlers with us," Maqsood said at the toss of the first round match.

"We have prepared really well and are looking to give our best and qualify for the next round."

PNG captain Assad Vala was confident of a good showing from his team that make their first ever appearance in a World Cup.

"I would have bowled first as well. The preparation has been good and we need to use our flair and give everything we have got," said Vala.

"We want to play the PNG way, which you hopefully will see soon. We have a good all-round team."

The seventh edition of the tournament is being staged by Oman and the United Arab Emirates with the Board of Control for Cricket in India playing hosts.

The top two teams from this group B will advance into the Super 12 stage, starting October 23, to meet the heavyweights.

Teams

Oman: Jatinder Singh, Khawar Ali, Aqib Ilyas, Zeeshan Maqsood (capt), Naseem Khushi (wk), Prajapathi, Mohammad Nadeem, Ayan Khan, Sandeep Goud, Kaleemullah, Bilal Khan

Papua New Guinea: Tony Ura, Assad Vala (capt), Charles Amini, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sese Bau, Simon Atai, Kiplin Doriga (wk), Nosaina Pokana, Damien Ravu, Kabua Morea

Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZL), Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)

TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)