(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
UAE’s Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu stole the show as their team crushed Oman by 42 runs in a thrilling T20 Asia Cup match in Abu Dhabi. This win on Monday keeps UAE’s hopes alive in the tournament, while India has already locked in a spot in the Super 4s after topping Group A.
Oman had a tough chase of 173 runs right from the start. UAE pacer Junaid Siddique struck early, sending Aamir Kaleem packing with a catch at mid-off in the very first over. Things got worse for Oman when Hammad Mirza got a life, dropped by Muhammad Jawadullah just two balls later.
Jatinder Singh looked promising with some sharp off-side shots, but he lost his wicket soon after, chopping a short ball onto his stumps to give Siddique his second scalp. Oman kept losing ground as Wasim Ali and Hammad Mirza fell in quick succession. Dhruv Parashar’s tight over, even with two close LBW calls turned down, helped UAE dominate the powerplay—though they missed a run-out chance that could have made it even better.
Shah Faisal lit up the innings briefly with a huge six, but Siddique ended his fun two balls later. UAE’s bowlers kept things slow, frustrating Aryan Bisht and Vinayak Shukla, who managed just 20 and 24 runs respectively. Jawadullah then broke their 38-run stand by dismissing Bisht, and soon after, Jiten Ramanandi fell too, putting UAE firmly in charge.
Siddique turned the screws in the 16th over, grabbing two more wickets to speed up Oman’s collapse. He fell just short of a five-wicket haul but ended with stunning figures of 4/23. Oman’s lower order fought back a bit—Ahmed smashed a massive six off Rohid Khan—but Waseem’s sharp direct hit to run out Shrivastava sealed the deal, wrapping up Oman at 130 all out.
Earlier, UAE’s innings got off to a flying start with an 88-run opening partnership. Alishan Sharafu smashed 51 off 38 balls, including seven fours and a six, while Muhammad Waseem anchored with a classy 69. Waseem added 49 more with Muhammad Zohaib’s quick 21 (two fours and a six), and Harshit Kaushik’s explosive unbeaten 19 off seven balls—with a four and two sixes—pushed UAE to 172/5 in 20 overs.
Oman’s Jiten Ramanandi was their standout bowler with 2/24, but it wasn’t enough to stop the UAE charge in this key T20 Asia Cup clash.
Brief Scores: UAE 172/5 (Muhammad Waseem 69, Alishan Sharafu 51; Jiten Ramanandi 2/24) beat Oman 130 all out (Aryan Bisht 24, Vinayak Shukla 20; Junaid Siddique 4/23) by 42 runs.
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