UAE defeated Oman by 42 runs in an important Group A clash of the Asia Cup 2025 in Abu Dhabi. With a solid batting display from Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem, UAE posted 172 for 5 in 20 overs.

In reply, Oman lost early wickets and never recovered. They were bowled out for 130 in 18.4 overs. Junaid Siddique (4/23 in 4 overs), Muhammad Jawad Ullah (2/18 in 3 overs), and Muhammad Rohid (2/27 in 2.4 overs) delivered a clinical bowling performance that kept Oman’s scoring in check.

Sharafu sets the tone early

Both teams entered the match seeking their first points in the tournament. The biggest challenge for the batters was to adapt to the slow and low pitch in Abu Dhabi. Oman won the toss and chose to bowl first.

Alishan Sharafu provided the early momentum for UAE with an aggressive half-century. He took the attack to Oman's bowlers by stepping out of the crease and finding gaps regularly.

UAE were slow to start, reaching 11 for no loss after three overs. However, Sharafu shifted gears in the next three overs, adding 39 runs in quick time. All six of his boundaries came inside the powerplay.

His best shot came later, when he played a superb inside-out drive for six over cover against legspinner Samay Shrivastava. Sharafu’s knock ensured UAE stayed ahead throughout their innings.

Waseem reaches milestone despite struggles

Muhammad Waseem, though not at his fluent best, made a crucial 69 off 54 balls. During this innings, he became the fourth-fastest batter to reach 3,000 runs in T20 Internationals, behind Mohammad Rizwan, Virat Kohli, and Babar Azam.

Waseem had a few tough phases but also showed his experience. When Aamir Kaleem came to bowl in the powerplay, Waseem immediately attacked, hitting three fours in one over. He later reached his half-century with a trademark six straight down the ground.

Oman missed chances to dismiss Waseem. On 27, he was given a reprieve when a fielder at long-on misjudged a catch, which also went for four runs. Later, Shakeel Ahmed dropped a simple catch at short fine leg when Waseem was on 34.

These lapses allowed Waseem to build a solid partnership. Towards the end, Harshit Kaushik and Muhammad Zohaib added 40 runs from just 21 balls, pushing UAE’s total to 172 for 5.

Oman's batting collapses

Oman’s chase started positively through captain Jatinder Singh, who looked confident on a difficult pitch. He raced to 20 off just 10 balls by timing his shots well.

However, his aggressive approach backfired when he dragged a delivery from Junaid Siddique onto his stumps. This triggered a collapse as Oman lost three wickets in 14 balls.

By the end of the powerplay, Oman were reeling at 32 for 4. Four of their top five batters failed to reach double digits. From there, they struggled to rebuild, slipping further to 50 for 5.

Siddique stars with the ball

Junaid Siddique proved to be the key bowler for UAE. In the 16th over, he took two wickets in quick succession, completely ending Oman’s hopes of recovery. Siddique finished with outstanding figures of 4 for 23.

Oman were eventually bowled out for 130, handing UAE a comfortable win and their first points of the tournament.

Brief Scorecard