UAE registered an impressive 42-run win over Oman to get their first points in Asia Cup 2025 in Abu Dhabi. UAE played like a determined lot and played the better game and outplayed their opponents in all facets of the game to get the points. Put into bat first, they rode on half-centuries from captain Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu to post 172/5 in 20 overs with handy contributions from down the order as well.
In reply, Junaid Siddique’s 4/23 and players around him like Haider Ali and Muhammad Jawadullah chipped in as UAE kept Oman down to 130 in 18.4 overs to win the contest by 42 runs and keep their hopes alive for Super 4s albeit a slim hope at this stage.
Muhammad Waseem & Alishan Sharafu’s Sparkling 50s Propels UAE To 172/5
Put into bat first, Alishan Sharafu and captain Muhammad Waseem walked out to bat for UAE while Shakeel Ahmed had ball in hand for Oman. Shakeel bowled a tidy first over. Faisal Shah was given the ball from the other end and Sharafu greeted him with a boundary through the cover point region. Shakeel bowled another decent over. Sharafu once again climbed onto Faisal and hit him for a boundary down the ground over mid-on. Sharafu hit him for a boundary by cutting him behind square.
Aamir Kaleem came into the attack and was greeted by Muhammad Waseem for a boundary by driving past covers and long-off. Waseem was not done yet as he hit Kaleem for two consecutive boundaries in the same over. Hassnain Ali Shah came into the attack next. Sharafu decided to put on a show as he hit Shah for a hat-trick of boundaries to propel the score upwards. At the end of the powerplay, UAE had brought up their 50 for the loss of 0 wickets in 6 overs.
Jiten Ramanandi came into the attack next post the powerplay. Sharafu square drove him past backward point for a boundary. Samay Shrivastava came into the attack next as Sharafu gave himself room and lofted it over covers for the maximum. Waseem too joined in the fun by launching the bowler straight down the ground for the maximum over long-off. Ramanandi then bowled a tight over.
Waseem hit Shrivastava over midwicket as the fielder in the deep misjudged the ball and allowed a boundary. At the end of 10 overs, UAE were well-placed at 83/0 with the players pausing for a Drinks Break. Ramanandi continued after the break as Waseem was dropped by Shakeel at square leg region when the captain was batting on 33. Sharafu soon got to his fifty off 37 balls. Ramanandi got the breakthrough for his side as Sharafu was dismissed for 51 off 38 balls with 7 fours and a maximum to his name.
The bowler bowled a full and straight ball just angled in towards the off-stump as Sharafu shuffled away from the leg stump to make room and hit through the covers but missed the ball completely to watch it uproot the off-stump. Asif Khan came out to bat next. Soon, a review was wasted by the fielding side as Waseem survived a LBW appeal. Waseem smashed Shah down the ground for a boundary over the bowler’s head.
Shrivastava returned and got rid of Asif for 2 off 5 balls. He bowled a short ball pitching outside the off-stump and spinning back in. Asif shuffled across and went back in his crease and pushed away from the body to get an inside edge dragging the ball back on the off-stump. Mohammad Zuhaib Khan came out to bat next. UAE brought up their 100 in 13.4 overs.
Waseem launched Shrivastava flat batting over long-off for the maximum. At the end of 15 overs, UAE were 116/2 and looked good for a big total. Shakeel Ahmed returned to the bowling crease as Zuhaib smoked down the ground to clear long-off for a boundary. Zuhaib went straight down the ground to clear long-on for the maximum. Waseem hit Faisal for a boundary past the long-on fielder. Zuhaib hit the bowler through extra cover for a boundary.
Ramanandi got rid of Khan for 21 off 13 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to his name. He bowled a good length delivery outside the off-stump, nipping away after pitching. Zuhaib cleared his front leg and threw the kitchen sink across the line and got it off the toe end of the bat skying it behind Samay at short third man who moved back slightly outside the 30-yard ring and fell backwards while collecting the ball and held onto it. Harshit Kaushik came out to bat next.
He got off the mark straightaway. Kaushik took on Faisal and launched him for back-to-back sixes and then hit a boundary through third man for a boundary. Waseem then launched Hassnain for the maximum down the ground through long-off. Waseem was then run out for 69 off 54 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes to his name as he was run out while trying to come back for the second run. Rahul Chopra came in next and got out for a golden duck.
The bowler pitched on length and middle stump line, the batter swung hard and lost his shape and got no timing on it. He lofted it down the ground and picked up Kaleem at long-on. Good catch from the fielder. Dhruv Parashar came in and got off the mark straightaway. The last ball was a dot ball as Kaushik played and missed as the review was burnt for caught behind against the batter. Kaushik remained unbeaten on 19 off 8 balls with a boundary and 2 sixes to his name. Parashar was unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 9 extras given by the fielding side as UAE finished with 172/5 in 20 overs.
Oman toiled hard with the ball with Jiten Ramanandi being the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/24 in 4 overs. Hassnain Ali Shah chipped in with 1/34 in 4 overs while Samay Shrivastava finished with 1/38 in 4 overs. Shakeel Ahmed gave away 16 runs in 3 overs. Faisal Shah went for 45 runs in 4 overs. Aamir Kaleem’s only over went for 14 runs. It meant that Oman needed 173 runs to win off the 20 overs to beat UAE.
Junaid Siddique’s 4/23 helped UAE skittle Oman out for 130 in 18.4 overs.Â
Chasing 173 for the win, Jatinder Singh and Aamir Kaleem came out to bat for Oman while Junaid Siddique had ball in hand for UAE. Jatinder made his intentions clear as he leaned into the drive through diving point region for a boundary. Junaid had his first wicket as he dismissed Kaleem for 2 off 2 balls. Siddique pitched this one up outside off-stump, Kaleem looked to thrash it over mid-off but failed to get the required elevation. He hit it flat and to the right of mid-off fielder. Kaushik inside the circle moved swiftly to his right and took a fine catch. Hammad Mirza came to the crease next.
He was dropped at short fine leg where the fielder put the catch down. Muhammad Rohid Khan came into the attack from the other end. Jatinder hit Rohid for a hat-trick of boundaries. Siddique got his second scalp as he dismissed Jatinder Singh for 20 off 10 balls with 4 fours to his name. Siddique bowled a slower delivery on a length outside off-stump, Jatinder looked to drive it on the up through the off-side but ended up getting an inside edge back onto the stumps. Wasim Ali came out to bat next. He got off the mark straightaway.
Haider Ali came into the attack and got rid of Ali for 1 off 2 balls. He bowled from over the wicket flatter and quicker delivery on the stumps, Wasim hung back and looked to help it behind square in the leg side but missed. He wore it on the front pad right in front of the stumps. The umpire gave it and the batter after a chat with his partner decided not to review. Faisal Shah came in next and got off the mark soon with a brace.
Rohid then got rid of Mirza for 5 off 7 balls. The short of a length delivery well outside off-stump, Mirza hung back and cut it away but failed to keep it down. He hit it straight to Parashar at point region who took a good catch after a juggle. Aryan Bisht on debut walked out to bat next. A run out chance was missed by UAE as well. Dhruv Parashar had ball in hand to bowl the final over of powerplay. He bowled a decent over as Oman reached 41/4 in 6 overs after the powerplay.
Haider Ali changed ends after powerplay as Faisal launched him over forward square leg for the maximum. Haider had his revenge as he got rid of Faisal Shah for 9 off 12 balls with a maximum to his name. He bowled it slower this time outside off-stump, Faisal once again decided to take it on as he went for a slog sweep but got a top edge as Waseem from short midwicket back pedalled to take a very good catch. Vinayak Shukla came out to bat next. Bisht hit Parashar through the covers for a boundary.
Harshit Kaushik came into the attack and was greeted with a boundary through short fine leg. Haider continued and bowled a miserly over as Oman reached 74/5 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the chase as we paused for the Drinks Break. Kaushik continued after the break as Waseem dropped a tough catch at covers. Haider bowled another tight over. Mohammad Jawadullah came into the attack next. He was greeted with a boundary from Bisht through backward point region. But he got rid of Bisht soon for 24 off 32 balls with 2 fours to his name.
Jawadullah bowled a length delivery on the middle and stump line, Bisht cleared his front leg moving away from the leg stump. He tried to make room and went through the line. The ball crashed the stumps. Jiten Ramanandi came out to bat next. Shukla survived a run out scare by inches. Ramanandi hit Kaushik for a boundary down the ground. Soon, the 100 came up for Oman in 14.1 overs. Ramanandi whacked the ball past the bowler over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Jawadullah got rid of Ramanandi for 13 off 9 balls with 2 fours to his name.
Ramanandi moved away from the stumps as the bowler followed him by banging the ball short on the leg stump line. He swung across the line and got a top edge as Sharafu at short third man settled underneath it to take the catch. Hassnain Ali Shah came into bat next. After 15 overs, Oman were reeling at 104/7 with 69 needed off 30 balls. Shukla hit Siddique for a boundary through a cut shot over backward point. But the bowler had his revenge as he got rid of Shukla for 20 off 17 balls with 2 fours to his name.
Junaid changed the pace and banged the hard length on the off-stump line, Shukla failed to get room trying to pull. He swivelled and connected off the top of the bat. The ball landed straight in the hands of Jawadullah at short fine leg. Shakeel Ahmed came out to bat next. Junaid got rid of Hassnain for a bronze duck. He bowled a back of the hand slower delivery pitched full and straight on the off-stump. Hassnain covered the off-stump and cleared the front leg to swipe across the line. He swung hard and missed the ball. Samay Shrivastava came out to bat next.
Shakeel managed to get a boundary away off Jawadullah through third man region. Siddique bowled a tidy over and finished his spell. Shakeel hit Rohid for a maximum as he deposited it over deep backward square leg. Shrivastava hit a boundary through third man region. Then Shrivastava was run out for 6 off 8 balls with a boundary to his name as Waseem hit the bulls eye at the bowler’s end to end the contest. Shakeel Ahmed remained unbeaten on 14 off 10 balls with a boundary and a maximum to his name. 16 extras given by the fielding side as Oman were bowled out for 130 in 18.4 overs to lose the contest by 42 runs.
Junaid Siddique was the pick of the bowlers for UAE as he finished with 4/23 in 4 overs. Haider Ali bowled well for his 2/22 in 4 overs. Muhammad Jawadullah chipped in with 2/18 in 3 overs. Rohid Khan had figures of 1/27 in 2.4 overs. Dhruv Parashar finished with 0/14 in 2 overs while Harshit Kaushik finished with 0/23 in 3 overs. So, UAE win by 42 runs and for his outstanding innings at the top of the order, Alishan Sharafu was awarded the Player of the Match award.
What Lies Ahead
Games keep coming thick and fast in Asia Cup 2025. Tomorrow, it is a Group B clash as Bangladesh will lock horns with Afghanistan at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from 8 PM IST on 16th September 2025. It is a must-win game for Bangladesh.
Let’s see how this game pans out tomorrow on Tuesday evening in Abu Dhabi.
Also Read:Â Asia Cup 2025: Alishan Sharafu & Muhammad Waseem Propels UAE To 172/5