In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, the team manager of the history making Oman cricket team speaks about the history of cricket in Oman and the development of the game in the country.

By PakPassion Staff (5th August, 2015)

Syed Jameel Zaidi was the team manager of the history making Oman cricket team which recently booked its place for the 2016 World T20 tournament to be held in India. Oman pulled off a major upset by beating Namibia in the 4th place Qualifying Play-Off in Dublin in July 2015.

The win achieved a long held target for the Oman cricket team and Jameel Zaidi is a person who can claim to have been involved in this project from the very start. Jameel Zaidi has had a longstanding association with Oman cricket and has been its Team Manager for the past three years as it emerged into a team that shocked everyone by beating a fancied Namibia side in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

Zaidi has had a long association with not only cricket in Oman but cricket in general. He grew up in the port city of Karachi in Pakistan and had a love for the game since an early age. In the 1970s he was seen as a young cricketer with serious potential and represented both Karachi and Sindh at Under 19 level along with captaining Pakistan Universities and representing Pakistan Income Tax at domestic level. Interestingly, he was only a year junior to the legendary Javed Miandad and used to open the innings with the renowned international umpire, Asad Rauf. However his professional life took over and before he could progress further in his cricket career he moved to Muscat, Oman in 1980 to take up a role at the National Bank of Oman, a subsidiary of a Luxembourg based based bank . Jameel Zaidi's love for cricket did not leave him though. He played for his bank in the Oman cricket league and was a prolific run getter for his team. He scored a record 26 centuries to lead his team to be champion of the league for more than ten years. He played a great part in promoting cricket in the country and represented the country as well.

Even before his appointment as the Team Manager, Jameel Zaidi has maintained a close link to the development of the game in Oman. He served as the Technical Advisor and at times had to take upon the duties of a chief selector for six years prior to his current position. A cricket team like Oman has access to limited funds and in a situation like this the role of the team manager becomes even more important as he had to ensure that the players have access to the best available training equipment and facilities.

Speaking exclusively to PakPassion, Syed Jameel Zaidi said, "We are very excited for the 2016 World T20. The work does not stop. Every day is hard day and we have to prepare to get at the level to be able to compete." Jameel expanded on the trials and tribulations that the team had to go through in order to realize their dream of playing in an ICC world event. "We were 29th in the rankings. We worked very hard in the searing heat where temperatures went up to 50 Celsius at times. We used to train at 4am in the morning. The training was intense with sessions in the evening too. The guys worked hard and had a lot of determination. By qualifying we finally achieved what we wanted."

Jameel Zaid finished off by adding, "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank people such as Mr Kanak Bhai Khimji, Chairman of Oman Cricket, Mr Pankaj Khimji, Director of Oman Cricket and Madhu Jesrani. This family is running the show and it is all due to their personal interest in the game along with the help from the Ministry Of Sports that Oman has achieved this historic glory."

Oman is a team which has big ambitions. If the team can keep on building the progress it has seen under the management of Jameel Zaidi and others such as Madhu Jesrani and Duleep Mendis, then its opponents should keep in mind that it will not be at the World Twenty20 to just make up the numbers.

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