Following his side's win over Oman in their final group stage T20 World Cup match, Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh lamented over the "missed opportunity" that their campaign turned out to be, adding that the dressing room is "bitterly disappointed" by their performances.

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Australia crushed Oman in a massive face-saving win at Pallekele on Friday, letting them end their campaign on a high with two wins and losses each. But their poor performances against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka raised concerns about the health of Aussie T20I cricket and whether they take the format seriously at all or not.

Coming into the tournament, frontline pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were ruled out due to injuries, and skipper Marsh missed out on two games due to a groin injury scare. Steve Smith was flown in as a replacement, but did not get even a single game to play.

'A missed opportunity': Marsh on T20 World Cup exit

Speaking after the match, Marsh said during the post-match proceedings, "Probably just the sense of a missed opportunity (talking about what's going on in his mind right now). As I have said a few times, it is a bitterly disappointed change room. Like every team, we built towards this for two years. Unfortunately, in a couple of key games, we just didn't play our best cricket - and that's tournament play. You lose a game like the one against Zimbabwe, and suddenly, you are under pressure. Credit to them, they played well, but we are a very disappointed group right now."

'We will look at how we can keep improving'

Marsh said that the conditions were not a main issue, and they had a squad to do the needful in slow conditions and lamented how his side could not deliver when it mattered the most. "That is where leadership becomes important (Answering - How do you ensure the response isn't purely emotional and instead constructive going forward?). The leaders within Cricket Australia and within the playing group will sit down and assess things properly. As players and as a team, we will look at how we can keep improving. If we are fortunate enough to get another opportunity as a group, we want to make sure we are better for this experience. When you fail, there are always lessons. It hurts right now, and we are disappointed with how it has unfolded. But we will go home, reflect honestly, and move forward," he concluded.

Oman skipper proud of World Cup experience

On the other hand, Oman skipper Jatinder Singh, despite ending the tournament winless, said that it was a proud moment to have played the World Cup. "I think it is a proud moment for all of us to have had the opportunity to play in a World Cup. The results and the overall journey may not have gone our way, but everyone in the group is truly grateful for the experience. If I am honest, I would reflect a little on our preparations. They weren't quite at the level we needed. We lacked the kind of exposure and support that helps you compete consistently at this level," he said.

Jatinder pointed out that instead of playing the bigger and stronger teams, most of them could prepare only by playing domestic cricket, but "boys gave their everything". "The results are not always in your control, but the effort certainly was - and I'm proud of the team for that. Now that we have experienced this stage, we understand what it takes to compete here. We have learned what ingredients are required to perform at a World Cup. There are a lot of lessons to take away, and plenty of positives as well, especially from competing against strong opposition. The aim now is to use those learnings and build towards coming back stronger next time," he said.

'Thank you for standing by us'

"First of all, we are incredibly grateful. It is an honour to represent Oman and play for the country. The support we have received from fans across the globe has been tremendous, and we truly appreciate it. Thank you so much for standing by us. With your continued support, I'm confident we will bounce back stronger," he signed off.

AUS vs OMA: Match summary

Coming to the match, Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first. Wasim Ali (32 in 33 balls, with four boundaries) was the only batter to cross the 20-run mark as the rest of the batters barely offered any resistance against an Aussie attack wounded by an early exit from the tournament. The Aussies were out for blood, skittling out Oman for 104 in 16.2 overs, with Glenn Maxwell (2/13 in three overs), pacer Xavier Bartlett (2/27 in four overs) being amongst the thick of action. Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Ellis also got a wicket each.

In the chase, skipper Mitchell Marsh (64* in 33 balls, with seven fours and four sixes) and Travis Head (32 in 19 balls, with six fours) bludgeoned the bowling attack, chasing down the target in 9.4 overs with nine wickets in hand. (ANI)

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