Dubai: Pakistan’s bowlers ran riot as the Men in Green thrashed Oman by 93 runs in a one-sided T20 Asia Cup clash on Friday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Oman were bundled out for just 67, with Pakistan spinners claiming six wickets for only 40 runs across 11 overs. Abrar Ahmed took the final wicket, dismissing Shakeel Ahmed for 10 off 23 balls.
Chasing a target of 161, Oman got off to a disastrous start. After a tight first over from Shaheen Afridi, Saim Ayub removed skipper Jatinder Singh for a duck in the second over. Kaleem (13) fell to Ayub’s next over, and Mohammad Nadeem could only manage three runs before Sufiyan Muqeem sent him back. Sufyan Mehmood added a single before Mohammad Nawaz removed him in the eighth over.
Wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla was run out following a brilliant throw from Afridi, while Mirza, the only batter with some resistance, was dismissed for 27 by Muqeem. By the 10th over, Oman were reeling at 49/6. Faheem Ashraf and Afridi then struck in successive overs to clean up the tail, finishing off Hassnain Shah for a duck.
Earlier, Pakistan had set a challenging total of 160/7 in their 20 overs. After winning the toss, skipper Salman Ali Agha elected to bat. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub had a shaky start, losing Ayub on the second ball. Mohammad Haris steadied the innings with a brisk 66, reaching his fifty off 42 balls. Farhan contributed 29, while Fakhar Zaman anchored the middle overs. Quick wickets of Haris, Agha, and others in the later stages limited Pakistan to 160.
For Oman, Shah Faisal and Aamir Kaleem shone with the ball, picking three wickets each, while Mohammad Nadeem chipped in with one.
Brief Scores:
Pakistan – 160/7 in 20 overs (Mohammad Haris 66, Sahibzada Farhan 29; Aamir Kaleem 3/31)
Oman – 67 all out in 16.4 overs (Hammad Mirza 27, Aamir Kaleem 13; Sufiyan Muqeem 2/7)
