The United States of America broke the record of lowest defended score in ODI cricket history. In the match against Oman, in ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2, the visitors posted just 122 runs in the first innings. Milind Kumar registered an unbeaten 47 runs, while Aaron Jones and Sanjay Krishnamurthi scored 16 runs each. For Oman, Shakeel Ahmed picked up a three-wicket haul.
Chasing 123 runs, the Jatinder Singh-led side had a very difficult start. The captain departed for seven runs, while his opening partner made five. Batting at number three, Hammad Mirza scored 29 and interestingly, he is the only Oman cricketer to have registered in double digits. Wickets fell like a house of cards at one point, as Oman posted only 65 runs on board.
Nosthush Kenjige picked up a five-wicket haul, while Milind picked up two. The USA won the game by 57 runs and strengthened their position at the top of the points table. With the defeat, Oman remain second on the table, followed by Canada, Netherlands and Scotland at number three, four and five respectively.
Meanwhile, the USA’s win broke a 40-year-old record in ODI cricket. India held the record for the lowest score defended in ODIs for 40 years when they defended 125 runs against Pakistan in the Rothmans Four-Nations Cup in 1985. The Kapi Dev-led side won the game by 38 runs in Sharjah.
The match also witnessed several other record-breaking moments, including a historic first in men's ODI cricket. In a staggering statistic, all nine bowlers who took the field were spinners, marking the first time in 4,671 completed men's ODIs that not a single fast bowler delivered a ball.
A total of 187 runs were scored in the match, which is the second-lowest aggregate in an ODI where both teams were dismissed. Also, a total of 19 wickets that fell were taken by spinners, making it only the second occasion to happen so.