'Media doesn't show positive things we said about them. only the negatives': Oman captain gives clarification on comments made before Australia encounter

Oman gave a tough fight to T20 World Cup 2021 champions Australia in their campaign opener at Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 6. Their spinners made Australian batters made toil hard in the middle. Had it not been for the dropped catch of Marcus Stoinis, Australia would have set a smaller target for Oman. Before the clash, Oman captain Aqib Illyas had said that Australian batters will struggle against their spinners. However, after the 39-run loss, Illyas said that he praised Australian batters too but media only focused on the negatives.
 

“The thing with the media is that they don't show the positive things we said about them, they only show the negatives. Obviously they're top players, we respect them as cricketers like we respect everyone, but when we come out on to the field no one is bigger than you,” he said in the post-match presentation.
 

“These wickets are tricky and it's not easy for anyone. For the first 14-15 overs we had a good grip on the game, but one fielding mishap and the game was taken away.”
 

What Illyas said before the match

Oman captain in the pre-match press conference had said that Australia made a mistake by not picking Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne who are technically sound batters.
 

"You see how the ball was turning in the last match. The ball was staying low. With the Australian team, they used to have a few players with good techniques in the past like Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. But I don't think they have many now. They look to hit big. They only try to go for sixes. But every day is not the same day, and if we get the same wicket (as the one against Namibia) maybe it could be a problem for then," he said.

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Stoinis’ all-round display sinks Oman 

After David Warner's 56-run knock and Stoinis' 36-ball 67 helped Australia post 164/5, Oman suffered a batting collapse and were reduced to 57/6 in the 13th over. They managed to post 125/9 on the board and suffered their second defeat of the tournament. Stoinis was exceptional with the ball too taking three wickets.
 

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