World T20: Oman, Afghanistan qualify

Dublin: Oman's fairytale rise as a cricket nation continued yesterday when they qualified for next year's World Twenty20 in India. A five-wicket win over Namibia at the ICC qualifying event in Malahide near Dublin saw the Gulf minnows reach their first major international tournament.

Victory also saw the ICC grant Oman, coached by former Sri Lanka captain Duleep Mendis, and with ex-England all-rounder Derek Pringle recently recruited as a technical advisor, full T20 status. Afghanistan sealed the other qualifying spot on offer yesterday with a six-wicket win over Papua New Guinea. It was the fourth successive time that Afghanistan - who competed at this year's 50-over World Cup - had qualified for the World T20. The 16 teams who will compete in the final phase of the World T20 are the 10 Test sides, plus qualifiers Scotland, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Afghanistan and Oman.