Asia Cup: UAE knocks out Oman, India qualify for Super 4

ABU DHABI: Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu displayed good performance and helped the UAE knock out Oman in the T20 Asia Cup match by 42 runs on Monday.

India, who are on top of Group A, have entered the Super 4s of the continental tournament.

Chasing 173, Oman were jolted early after Junaid Siddique had Aamir Kaleem caught at mid-off in the very first over. A chance for a second wicket went begging when Muhammad Jawadullah put Hammad Mirza down two balls later.

Jatinder Singh initially found success with precise off-side drives, but his momentum was short-lived as he succumbed to a short delivery, chopping it onto his stumps and giving Siddique his second wicket.

Oman’s struggles deepened with consecutive overs losing Wasim Ali and Hammad Mirza. Dhruv Parashar’s economical over, despite two denied LBW appeals, capped an impressive UAE bowling Powerplay, which could have extracted further wickets but for a missed run-out chance.

Shah Faisal’s brief brilliance, marked by a massive six, ended abruptly as he fell two balls later. With the UAE bowling sparingly, Aryan Bisht and Vinayak Shukla’s slow rotation allowed the UAE to seize control. Jawadullah broke the 38-run partnership, dismissing Bisht and then Jiten Ramanandi, further tightening the UAE’s grip.

With the contest going nowhere, Siddique hastened Oman’s slow surrender by picking up two more wickets in the 16th over. He was unable to claim his maiden fifer but finished with impressive figures of 4/23 nonetheless.

Oman’s tail-enders showed resilience, with Ahmed striking a massive six off Rohid Khan. However, their efforts were undone when Waseem’s direct hit ran out Shrivastava, ending Oman’s resistance.

Earlier in the match, an 88-run opening stand between Alishan Sharafu (51 in 38 balls, with seven fours and a six) and Waseem kick-started things off for the UAE. A 49-run stand between Waseem and Muhammad Zohaib (21 in 13 balls, with two fours and a six) and a cameo from Harshit Kaushik (19* in seven balls, with a four and two sixes) took UAE to 172/5 in 20 overs.

Jiten Ramanandi (2/24) was the top bowler for Oman.

Brief Scores: UAE 172/5 (Muhammad Waseem 69, Alishan Sharafu 51; Jiten Ramanandi 2/24). Vs Oman 130 (Aryan Bisht 24, Vinayak Shukla 20; Junaid Siddique 4-23). (ANI)