Two-time Asia Cup winners Pakistan aims to start their campaign on a winning note when they clash against Oman who are also playing their first game in this tournament. This game is a Group A fixture at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. Pakistan who have won the Asia Cup in 2000 and 2012 have never won the T20 edition and will look to change that. They will be led by Salman Ali Agha and have got a nice blend of youth and experience in them.
Up against them will be Oman who will be playing their first Asia Cup ever and will be keen to prove a point. Under new leader Jatinder Singh, Oman will try to be no pushovers and try and compete against the bigger nations. They have had to face struggle in the past and many of their former players have left as well, but they will try and be competitive and if any team takes them likely, then it will be dangerous to say the least. Pakistan will be favourites, but Oman will try to fight.
Overview
Pakistan will be coming into this match on the back of a Tri-Series triumph in Sharjah as they will be itching to take the field now which is also the fourth game of the tournament. Salman Ali Agha is the captain of this team and under his leadership, they decimated Afghanistan in the recently concluded Tri-Series final hammering the Afghans by a whopping 75-run margin defending a low score of 141/8. Mohammad Nawaz wreaked havoc with the ball as he claimed an excellent five-wicket haul which included a hat-trick which left Afghanistan in deep waters.
Pakistan are going into the Asia Cup with the same 17-member squad as they have already moved on from the likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the shortest format. As we have noticed in this part of the world, the pitch tends to help the spinners more and Pakistan have Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Saim Ayub and captain Salman Ali Agha as well who can put the opposition under immense pressure with their different styles of spin bowling. Apart from Abrar and Muqeem, the rest of them are also vital with bat in hand.
Pakistan led by Salman Ali Agha rotated its pacers in the Tri-Series, but will most likely start with their best combination of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf allowing them enough game time ahead of their massive Group A clash against India on Sunday. Hasan Ali, Salman Mirza and Mohammad Wasim Jnr are the other seamers in the set-up who can step up when required to. Faheem Ashraf, who is a pace-bowling all-rounder, can also be handy in these conditions, which may allow the Men in Green add an extra spinner in the XI.
Pakistan have been consistent with the batting order. Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan are expected to start and give the team a flying start. Following this, they have Fakhar Zaman’s experience, before Salman Ali Agha, Hasan Nawaz, and Mohammad Haris in the middle order, before the all-rounders and bowlers enter the fray.
Let’s talk about Oman now and they have faced a lot of difficulties with their players walking out and losing the contracts due to payment issues. They have a completely new look set-up, with only three players surviving from the squad that featured in the 2024 T20 World Cup. 11 of the players, including the likes of Aqib Iliyas and Zeeshan Maqsood have walked out of the Oman Cricket team.
Jatinder Singh was then named the new skipper for the ICC Cricket World Cup League Two and has been leading the side till now. He will aim to lead Oman from the front and give a tough fight to Pakistan. Aamir Kaleem, Mohammad Nadeem and Shakeel Ahmed are the senior pros in the set-up who all need to step up against the big teams.
Vinayak Shukla is Oman’s preferred wicket-keeper batter and has a healthy strike rate of 146.15 with the bat in T20Is. Hammad Mirza, Mohammad Nadeem and Aryan Bisht are other key figures in the batting department, while Sufyan Mehmood and Samay Shrivastava are key assists with the ball.
Oman have named four uncapped players in the squad, with Sufyan Yousuf, Zikria Islam, Faisal Shah and Nadeem Khan getting their opportunity to play cricket at the highest level. Oman are playing the main round of Men’s Asia Cup for the first time. However, they have played in the qualifying rounds earlier. This will also be the first meeting between Pakistan and Oman in T20Is as they have never met before.
So, the stage is set for both teams to begin their campaign and only time will tell as to whether Oman springs in a surprise or will Pakistan get a routine dominant win against Oman.
Pitch and Weather Report
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is expected to be a good one for batting but the spinners will have a key role to play as well. The pitch will have assistance for the pacers initially before the spinners take control in the middle overs. The batters have to apply themselves and when set can go for their shots and play well. Scores of around 160-170 is expected to be competitive. Chasing has been preferred in Dubai and we reckon captain winning the toss may opt to chase.
The weather in Dubai is expected to be a hot day as usual. The maximum temperatures during the day could touch 39 degrees Celsius while in the evening during match time, the temperature could come down by a few degrees. But overall, it will be extremely hot with no chance of rain whatsoever.
Predicted Playing XIs Of Both Teams
Here we will try and predict the playing XIS of both teams.
Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
Oman XI: Aamir Kaleem, Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Mohammad Nadeem, Aryan Bisht, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Shakeel Ahmad, Ashish Odedra, Hassnain Shah, Sufyan Mehmood, Samay Shrivastava.
Key Players to watch out for
Fakhar Zaman: Fakhar Zaman will be a key player to watch out for Pakistan. Batting at 3, he brings his experience to the fore and can play any situation. He has the ability to change the game with the willow in his hand and Pakistan will be hoping he does that in this tournament. He had a middling Tri-Series where he got starts and couldn’t kick on. He will be hoping to do well in this tournament and get big scores.
Shaheen Afridi: With the new ball, Shaheen Afridi can be lethal and we have seen that before a lot of times. Pakistan will be banking on Afridi to deliver the goods with the new ball and bamboozle the opposition and then even in the death overs with match on the line, he will be expected to deliver the goods. Afridi has been getting back to his best in the recent past and will be hungry for success in this tournament.
Jatinder Singh: The captain of the Oman Cricket team, Jatinder Singh has got experience playing in T20Is. He would like to make full use of that and lead from the front for Oman. He is a good player and with captaincy on his shoulders, it is expected that Jatinder does the bulk of the scoring from the top of the order. If he sets the tone, then Oman may post competitive scores on the board.
Vinayak Shukla: Known for his big hits and finishing abilities, the keeper batter Vinayak Shukla will be hoping he does well and get crucial runs in the backend of the innings. He will be tasked to play the role of a finisher and must do well to help post good totals on the board for Oman. It’s not going to be easy though against a tough Pakistan bowling line-up.
Few Stats to watch out for in this clash
- Jatinder Singh is 1 run away from 1400 T20I runs.
- Fakhar Zaman is 9 runs away from 1600 T20I runs.
- Mohammad Nawaz needs 2 wickets from claiming Mohammad Amir’s 9th place in the list of most T20I wickets for Pakistan in the list of bowlers.
- Aamir Kaleem is 20 runs away from 600 T20I runs.
Predicted Outcome of this clash
In T20Is and in cricket anyone can beat anyone on a given day. So, we cannot count out any side. But looking at form on paper and on recent past and the sides that we have on show, it is expected that Pakistan will win this clash. They will start as favourites. Oman might push them to a degree, but we expect Pakistan to come out and get the two points on the board with ease. Oman will have to play out of their skins to pull off a monumental upset.
We shall wait and watch as to what really happens in the match, but Pakistan should win as we hope for a close contest in Asia Cup 2025 as so far we have witnessed one-sided wins for the teams. Let’s see if the first thriller takes place later tonight of the tournament.
Also Read:Â Asia Cup 2025: Bangladesh Aims To Get Off To Winning Start Against Bruised Hong Kong