2025 Asia Cup: UAE beat Oman by 42 runs in Abu Dhabi

Skipper Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu scored rapid fifties before Junaid Siddique’s excellent bowling figures of 4/23, as UAE defeated Oman by 42 runs to keep their chances of reaching the Super Four alive in the Asia Cup on Monday.

Waseem anchored the UAE innings with a 69 off 54 balls, being dismissed only in the last over. His opening partner Sharafu accelerated to 51 off 38 balls after a shaky start, guiding UAE to a total of 172 for five after being sent in to bat.

This total proved sufficient for the home team, and a win against Pakistan on Wednesday could see them advance to the next stage of the tournament, assuming India wins against Oman in their final group game.

Oman was bowled out for 130 in 18.4 overs.

Siddique removed both Oman openers Aamir Kaleem (2) and skipper Jatinder Singh (20) with just 23 runs on the board.

Left-arm spinner Haider Ali (2/22) then took two wickets, leaving Oman in serious trouble at 50 for five in the seventh over.

Aryan Bisht and Vinayak Shukla attempted to stabilize the innings, bringing Oman to 74 for five in 10 overs.

However, after adding 38 runs for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Shukla, Bisht was bowled by Muhammad Jawadullah (2/18). The left-arm pacer struck in his first over after Bisht attempted an inside-out shot over cover, exposing all his stumps.

Jawadullah then dismissed Jiten Ramanandi (13), and Siddique further increased his tally, bringing UAE closer to victory.

Earlier, left-arm medium-pacer Ramanandi helped Oman regain some control and finished with impressive figures of 2/24 in four overs, after Waseem and Sharafu’s brisk start.

After a quiet first over, the adventurous Sharafu found a boundary through a packed off-side field off Shah Faisal, even as Shakeel Ahmed kept the run rate in check initially.

Sharafu, looking to attack the bowlers by coming down the track, found the fence twice against Faisal — hitting over mid-on and then cutting a short and wide delivery for another four.

Captain Muhammad Waseem, known for his aggressive approach and ability to play big shots, joined the act by hitting three boundaries in Aamir Kaleem’s first over, the 43-year-old left-arm spinner conceding 14 runs.

Sharafu then launched into medium-pacer Hassnain Shah, hitting three consecutive fours as he continued to step out of the crease and create room for himself.

Thanks to the openers’ urgency, UAE scored 50 runs in the powerplay.

Hoping for a breakthrough, Oman skipper Jatinder Singh introduced left-arm seamer Jiten Ramanandi into the attack, and Sharafu struck him through the off-side for a boundary.

Jatinder made another bowling change, bringing in leg-spinner Samay Shrivastava, but Sharafu and Waseem continued their onslaught, each hitting a six.

Luck was on Waseem’s side as Hammad Mirza dropped a catch after misjudging the ball in the deep, taking UAE to 83 for no loss in 10 overs.

Waseem got another chance right after the drinks break, with Shakeel being the culprit this time.

However, Ramanandi soon gave Oman something to celebrate when he bowled Sharafu, hitting the off-stump after the batter made room to play through the off-side but missed completely.

Both Oman and UAE had lost their opening matches of the tournament to Pakistan and India respectively.

Brief Score:

UAE: 172 for 5 in 20 overs (Muhammad Waseem 69, Alishan Sharafu 51; Jiten Ramanandi 2/24).

- Agencies