Overview
Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket (Ministry Turf 1) is an international cricket facility in Oman that has hosted 101 men's matches across T20I and ODI formats between 2018 and 2025. It is the primary home venue for Oman Cricket and has become a regular fixture on the associate cricket calendar, drawing sides from across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas. The ground is best known in the context of ICC global qualifying events, where a broad range of associate nations compete for places in major tournaments. With a first-innings average of 159 and a chase success rate of 60%, it is a surface where bowling first has historically made sense, and the toss data reflects that: captains have elected to field on 70% of occasions.
The range of teams that have appeared here gives the ground an unusual character among associate venues. Ireland, the Netherlands and Nepal have all played multiple matches alongside host nation Oman and regional neighbours UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain. That variety means the records here carry genuine breadth.
Pitch and conditions
The powerplay data is the clearest window into how this surface plays. An average of 42 runs and 1.76 wickets across the first six overs points to a pitch that keeps things honest early. Batters do not typically plunder boundaries from ball one, and sides that lose two or three wickets before the powerplay ends can find the middle overs difficult to navigate.
Through overs 7 to 15, the average contribution of 75 runs per innings is the most productive phase, but that number is built steadily rather than at an explosive rate. The pitch tends to slow through the middle period, rewarding batting sides that kept wickets in hand through the powerplay and can rotate strike and find the boundary with calculation rather than raw power.
The death-overs average of just 34 runs per innings is low by T20 standards, which goes some way to explaining the chase-friendly pattern. Teams setting totals in the 150–170 range may feel competitive, but sides defending can find themselves under sustained pressure late if the pitch eases under lights. The 60% chase success rate and the 70% field-first toss preference are, on balance, the two most practically significant numbers this ground produces.
Historical records
The batting ceiling at this ground was raised by CG Williams, whose 129 not out off 94 balls for Namibia against Oman on 8 January 2020 remains the highest individual score in the ground's ODI records. KJ O'Brien's 124 off 62 balls for Ireland against Hong Kong on 7 October 2019 showed what the surface can offer in T20I conditions when a batter gets in, and his strike rate of 200 is the most destructive century the ground has produced. Chirag Suri (115 off 125 balls for UAE in February 2022), Waseem Muhammad (112 off 66 balls for UAE in the same month) and A Johnson (109 not out off 69 balls for Canada in November 2022) complete the list of centurions, spanning both formats and several different playing conditions.
The bowling records are equally striking. S Lamichhane's 6/11 in 5.2 overs for Nepal against Papua New Guinea on 10 September 2021 is the standout return, achieved in an ODI at a miserly economy rate. Four further five-wicket hauls have been recorded here, by NP Kenjige, Khawar Ali, Aamir Kaleem and Basil Hameed, across both formats. The frequency of big bowling performances suggests that when the surface does assist movement or turn, bowlers can run through an innings quickly.
Who plays here
Oman Cricket are the dominant presence with 62 matches at their home ground, though their 52% win rate reflects a competitive surface rather than a home fortress. UAE Cricket have the second-highest match count at 30 appearances and have won 66% of them, while Nepal Cricket have won 69% of their 26 games here, the best record among the regular visitors. Ireland Cricket (13 matches, 62% wins), Canada (11 matches, 73% wins) and Kuwait (12 matches, 58% wins) have also shown strongly, whereas Papua New Guinea Cricket have found conditions difficult, winning just 1 of their 12 matches at the ground. The full picture across 101 matches between 2018 and 2025 is of a venue that has genuinely tested associate cricket's competitive landscape, with no single side dominating proceedings comprehensively.