Pakistan opened their Asia Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, outclassing Oman by 93 runs in a one-sided Group A clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
After Mohammad Haris’ blistering half-century lifted Pakistan to 160/7, their bowlers combined to rip through Oman’s batting and bundle them out for just 67 in 16.4 overs.
Haris Leads Pakistan’s Batting Charge
Opting to bat first, Pakistan lost opener Saim Ayub for a golden duck to Shah Faisal, but Haris and Sahibzada Farhan steadied the innings with a crucial 84-run partnership. Haris played with freedom and authority, striking seven fours and three sixes en route to his 66 off 46 balls — his maiden T20I half-century.
Feeling very good. Much needed innings for me and my side, happy to contribute. Whatever the team demands, I can accommodate — even if they ask me to bat at 10. Playing aggressively is what I like, and the skipper also told us to be aggressive.
Farhan’s 29 provided support, but Oman struck back through Aamir Kaleem and Faisal. The pair shared three wickets each to peg Pakistan down and restrict them to 160, a total that looked competitive but far from daunting.
Restricting them under 160 was really good, really proud of the boys — the way they bowled and fielded. The boys were bang on target, they executed the plans, they were 10/10.
Oman Collapse Under Relentless Attack
Any hopes of a chase were dashed early as Saim Ayub, this time with the ball, removed both Jatinder Singh and Aamir Kaleem inside the powerplay. At 40/2 after six overs, Oman were already under pressure.
What followed was complete domination. Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Afridi struck in quick succession, while Faheem Ashraf chipped in with tight seam bowling. A mix-up in the middle saw Afridi run out Vinayak Shukla, and Oman slid to 49/6.
Hammad Mirza’s fighting 27 was the only highlight as wickets tumbled around him. Pakistan’s spinners and seamers shared the spoils — Muqeem, Ayub and Ashraf all taking two wickets each, with Afridi, Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed adding one apiece.
With the bat, we still need to work. But with the bowling, it was outstanding. The spinners bowled really well, Shaheen in his second spell and Faheem also. We have three spinners, all very different, and Saim is outstanding with the new and old ball.
Looking Ahead
For Oman, it was a tough outing after a promising start with the ball. Jatinder Singh urged his side to stay positive ahead of their next fixture against India. “Our team is a lot better than what we performed today. For the India game, we just need to back ourselves, play positive cricket and stay in the present.” Pakistan, meanwhile, will take confidence from a strong all-round show as they prepare for their much-anticipated clash against India.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 160/7 in 20 overs (Mohammad Haris 66, Sahibzada Farhan 29; Aamir Kaleem 3-31, Shah Faisal 3-34) Oman 67 all out in 16.4 overs (Hammad Mirza 27; Saim Ayub 2-8, Faheem Ashraf 2-6, Sufiyan Muqeem 2-7) Result: Pakistan won by 93 runs.
