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Oman will participate in the World T20 for the first time next week - no mean feat, especially given that last summers qualification tournament was held in the unfamiliar playing conditions of Scotland and Ireland.Their success means that they have been granted full Twenty 20 International status until at least 2019 with the prospect of matches against the likes of England, Australia and India.So how strong is the game in Oman and how did former England all-rounder Derek Pringle become the teams Technical Adviser during the teams training camp in Ireland last summer? It was after a casual conversation between John Stephenson (MCC Head of Cricket and Pringles former Essex colleague) and a chap called Pankaj Khimji, MCC member but also a mover and shaker in Oman cricket, says Pringle.His beef was that Oman had been to qualifying tournaments before but never progressed and they wanted someone who might be able to steer them through British conditions.Pringle proved a shrewd choice - after an early loss to Kenya, Oman went on to beat the Netherlands, Afghanistan and Namibia as they qualified ahead of more seasoned sides like Nepal and the UAE. Who will walk away with the World Twenty20 trophy? With the former Sri Lankan captain Duleep Mendis as coach (a calming influence, according to Pringle,) the team surpassed expectations, primarily thanks to a strong and long batting line-up. So who are the ones to watch?Jatinder Singh is the best all-round batsman, in that he knows how to pace a T20 innings and Zeeshan Maqsood can strike it like Chris Gayle though he tends to lack the judgment about when best to do that.The bowling may not be as strong but, having used Pringles expertise in British conditions, Oman have now engaged former Indian slow left-armer Sunil Joshi and Sri Lankan all-rounder Rumesh Ratnayeke to prepare for the Sub-Continental pitches they will experience in the World T20. Oman team guide Details of Omans squad for 2016 ICC World Twenty20 According to Pringle, the most obvious area where there is room for improvement is in fielding. Had we caught 90 per cent of the catches we dropped, wed have finished in the top three instead of sixth, he reflects.Whatever happens to Oman on the big stage over the next few weeks, the long term challenge is to grow the game at grassroots level, in a country where the main players are still predominantly Indian and Pakistani expats.Full international status will mean extra ICC funding and facilities are improving all the time - pitches are primarily made of astro turf and floodlights were recently installed at a revamped ground in Muscat. Having been born and raised in Kenya, (who have faded away somewhat after qualifying for the 2003 World Cup), Pringle understands the difficulties faced by emerging cricketing nations. Omans success in getting to India has certainly enthused everyone I met but they really need the local Omani Arabs to embrace the game to give cricket a future, he says. Kumar Sangakkara gives a brief history of the ICC T20 World Cup So far, football is the sport they revere, but that could change if Omans cricket team can claim a high profile scalp or two in India.Getting out of a tough group comprising Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands may prove a step too far but the teams performances could still generate national interest.It would be great if they qualified for the World T20 proper but providing they win at least one of their qualifying games, I think their adventure can be seen as a success, says Pringle.After their unexpected triumphs last summer, who would bet against Oman springing further surprises in India?Sky Sports is the only place you can watch all 35 games in 27 days of the 2016 ICC World T20, starting with Zimbabwe v Hong Kong on Tuesday 8th March at 9am on Sky Sports 2 HD. Or watch from £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV.Also See:ICC World T20 fixturesICC World T20 squadsWATCH: Best of 2014 World T20Pick your Ultimate World T20 XIJason Taylor Dolphins Jersey . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Jason Taylor Youth Jersey . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. http://www.dolphinsrookiestore.com/ . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Mark Duper Dolphins Jersey . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Jason Taylor Jersey . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans.Mobile phones are the most popular gaming devices in the world. Hundreds of millions of people now hold a world of games in the palm of their hand at every waking moment, eliminating the inconvenience of computers and consoles.Enter Vainglory, the worlds leading mobile esports title. Developed by Super Evil Megacorp, Vainglory is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) title akin to League of Legends and Dota 2; unlike its PC counterparts, it is designed specifically for touchscreen play. Popular esports powerhouses like Team SoloMid and Team Secret have already developed franchises in its growing esports scene.On Sept. 11, the finale of the summer season, the top eight teams will duke it out for a prize pot worth over $100,000. Super Evil Megacorp has confirmed that the subsequent autumn season will feature a world championship starring the 12 most decorated teams.The Evil Eight system, a special title for the top eight teams at any given time, will debut during the summer season. North America and European teams will compete for inclusion in the Evil Eight all summer long as they try to accumulate points in the championship standings.The bottom three Evil Eight teams will face weekly challenger battles from the community-run challenger tier.Its important for us to keep the dream alive, for three friends to be able to get together and make a path to the championship, says Kristian Segerstale, COO and Executive Director at Super Evil Megacorp.With Amazons sponsorship of the league, Segerstrale says he is confident this will be the biggest and best season yet. Amazon has been invested in Vainglory since its first tournament: a community-driven event that inspired Super Evil Megacorp to invest more into Vainglory esports.Evan Denbaum, Senior Director of Content and Creative Director of Esports at SEMC, says its team initially wanted to create a game that would redefine the expectations of the mobile genre. He jumped aboard SEMC because he was impressed by the game engine they were working with and felt it could even build games for current gen consoles. Turning Vainglory into an esport wasnt even on his radar, but the community quickly gained his attention.At first, tournaments were 2v2 so the third player slot could be used to spectate the matches, he says. That forced SEMC to immediately bump spectator mode up in its development queue.The players, teams, and regions of Vainglory esportsSome people saw Vainglorys esports potential from the get-go. Team SoloMids team captain and roamer, Michael FlashX Valore, says hed been following it since it was featured at an Apple keynote event in 2014. He started playing when the game was released only to Southeast Asia, even though the latency to the U.S. was very high.FlashXs major breakthrough came when his first team, Ardent Alliance, rolled through the autumn season open qualifier last fall, winning the chance to compete in the Vainglory International Premier League (VIPL) for a shot at an $80,000 prize pool. The Korean esports media powerhouse OnGameNet (OGN) hosted the VIPL in Seoul.We actually had an issue at first, though, he says. One of our members was only 13 years old and he couldnt convince his parents to let him go to Korea.Despite needing to sub out their teammate, Ardent Alliance defeated the worlds strongest teams en route to winning the VIPL Season 2 Championship.After that sensational performance, AA was acquired by Team SoloMid, whose clout and presence in North American esports is unmatched.The incredible variety of mobile touchscreen devices can throw an interesting wrench into a Vainglory teams plans. At a recent invitational event, FlashX and Team SoloMid suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Koreas Invincible Armada.While FlashX was quick to acknowledge his opponents strength, he also wanted to emphasize that the games werent an accurate gauge of his teams ability, as they were forced to play on Samsung phones instead of their usual iPads.FlashX says that, generally speaking, deciding which type of device to use comes down to preference. Some players prefer using their thumbs on a phoone while FlashX opts for his index fingers on a larger screen.ddddddddddddSome players use a stylus. Some players sit at a desk, and some lie down on their stomachs.In the future, a Vainglory stage might accommodate all these preferences for players. Mobile devices mean competitors can play in different positions and in many kinds of environments, unlike PC gaming. Of course, it probably wont get to the point of placing a bed on the stage for a particular player to use, but whos to really say?As Vainglory heads into the summer, regions all over the world have begun to take shape as distinct competitive arenas. Denbaum says one of the most intriguing things for him to watch as a developer is the vast differences between the metagame [strategies] of each region.North America, for example, is extremely aggressive in the early game, he says. Europe is more likely to play passively and scale into late game, and Korea will funnel all of their resources into their primary carry as the other two players focus on supportive roles.Super Evil Megacorp has watched its game evolve before its eyes as professional players redefine the notions and preconceptions behind champions. The SEMC team has watched heroes like Petal, previously thought of as useless and gimmicky, play a significant role in Koreas spring championship.He says flexibility is a key philosophy to the teams balancing ideology. In a 3v3 game, we feel every hero needs the potential to be played in any of the roles, he says. And differences are already spawning to fill each regions strategic needs.With the confirmation of a World Championship event, the regions will have a real opportunity to determine who stands supreme. Its a chance to define the entire game going forward. In League of Legends, for example, the now-standard Marksmen and Support duo-lane didnt come into its own until Europe dominated the inaugural LoL World Championship.The summer season and the future of esportsAs they head into the summer, SEMCs priority will be to expand the games reach and to provide stability and support to their professional scene. Denbaum also wants to continue to acknowledge the communitys strength and passion for Vainglory as an esport.And beyond that, Segerstale says, Within the next decade, I expect a mobile game to be one of, if not the largest players in the esports industry. There are over three billion touchscreen devices compared to some seven hundred million gaming PCs.One of the limitations facing mobile games is the perception that they are time killers or less serious than games on other platforms. Additionally, Segerstale says a lot of mobile games have intrinsic timers that cause players to expect shorter playing sessions. These games rely on pay-to-win models that dont have the same type of magic the gaming generation experienced growing up.In contrast to casual mobile games, Vainglory matches can go anywhere from 7-8 minutes up to 20 minutes, and the average player plays for about two hours per day. Segerstale hopes more mobile games will ask and allow players to steep themselves in a richer, more strategical environment.During Vainglorys development, one of Super Evil Megacorps concerns was that theyd have to persuade a generation of PC gamers that touchscreen games were legitimate. However, what theyve instead come to realize is that Vainglory appeals to a whole bunch of people whose first language is mobile gaming, especially when limited to the MOBA genre.Mobile games like Candy Crush and Clash Royale are turning more and more people into gamers, although these gamers are different from the traditional stereotype. Segerstale shares a story about a 13-year-old kid from Europe, who is one of the top thousand Vainglory players there:When PC gaming came up, he said he didnt understand how people could just accept the abstract limitations of a mouse and keyboard. 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