Ageing Oman all-rounder Nadeem banks on 'smart work' in T20 World Cup swansong

Oman’s Mohammad Nadeem realises he will have to work smart, and not necessarily hard, to get the best out of his 43-year-old frame in his final Twenty20 World Cup appearance, the all-rounder told Reuters.

Nadeem, who made his international debut in 2015, will be the tournament’s second-oldest player behind teammate Aamir Kaleem (44) in the 20-team showpiece beginning on February 7.

“The biggest challenge is maintaining performance while protecting your body,” Nadeem told Reuters on a video call.

“At this stage, recovery is slow and smart work is actually more important than hard work.

“You know what your body demands, what you can do, what you cannot do. So we have small sessions and we don’t go for big ones and save our energy for the matches, so we can have a better result.”

His third appearance in the T20 World Cup would be his last but the Pakistan-born player did not rule out continuing in the 50-overs format.

“It all depends on the (Omani) board’s call but I believe this will be my last World Cup, and last T20 tournament,” Nadeem said.

“If they want to have me for 50-overs, it’s their call. But if it’s T20, I will say goodbye in this World Cup.”

A middle-order batter and a handy seam bowler, Nadeem draws inspiration from former England fast bowler James Anderson, who performed successfully in test cricket before retiring at the age of 41 in 2024.

“I always say if he could play in test cricket at this age, then why can’t I? Because 90% of our cricket is at the associate level, so why can I not survive at the associate level? Jimmy is my inspiration,” he said.

Oman face a daunting task in Group B where they will play former champions Australia and Sri Lanka.

Nadeem was looking forward to the challenge though.

“Australia, along with India, are right now the two best teams in the world,” he said.

“Playing against the top sides means a lot of learning, and we will get to know how to play competitive cricket (at the top level).”

He has even set himself specific targets, with his sights on claiming the wickets of the Australian duo of Mitchell Marsh and fellow opener Travis Head as potential World Cup bonuses.