Playing only their second Asia Cup, UAE were bundled out for just 57 in 13.1 overs in their opener, as India cruised to their fastest-ever T20I win. Oman fared only marginally better, dismissed for 67 in 16.4 overs while chasing 161 against Pakistan — highlighting the gulf between the associate sides and the tournament heavyweights.
UAE coach Lalchand Rajput, who famously guided India to the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup title, admitted his players were overawed by India’s star-studded line-up and had never faced such high-quality bowling before. Against Oman, though, the hosts will be on a more level playing field.
UAE qualified by winning the ACC Men’s Premier Cup and arrived at the tournament after a preparatory tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan. They have shown flashes of promise but struggled to sustain momentum, and will look to hold on to advantageous positions this time.
Captain Muhammad Waseem, along with Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra, Asif Khan and left-arm spinner Haider Ali, will be key to UAE’s bid for their first points.
For Oman, Shah Faisal and Aamir Kaleem impressed with three wickets each against Pakistan, while Hammad Mirza stood out with the bat. Many of Oman’s players juggle cricket with day jobs, but they are eager to make an impression.
Skipper Jatinder Singh praised his side’s bowling and fielding effort despite the defeat and vowed to “play positive cricket” against UAE.
“Really proud of the boys — the way they bowled and fielded. Our team is a lot better than what we showed today, and I’m confident we can do a lot better,” Singh said.
Teams (from):
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra, Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Saghir Khan.
Oman: Jatinder Singh (c), Ashish Odedara, Aamir Kaleem, Karan Sonavale, Hassnain Shah, Mohammad Nadeem, Vinayak Shukla, Hammad Mirza, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava, Mohammad Imran.
