ABU DHABI: Oman captain Jatinder Singh won the toss and elected to bowl first against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Match 7 of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, with both sides searching for their first win of the tournament.
Oman made three changes to the side that lost to Pakistan in their opening game. All-rounders Wasim Ali and Aryan Bisht, along with left-arm seamer Jiten Ramanandi, came into the playing XI in place of Mohammad Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood and Zikria Islam. Aryan Bisht was handed his T20I debut.
UAE, meanwhile, made one change from the team that went down to India earlier in the tournament. Fast bowler Muhammad Jawadullah replaced left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh Kang.
Both teams entered the fixture under pressure, having suffered heavy defeats in their first matches. With qualification for the Super Four stage already hanging in the balance, the contest has become a must-win for both Oman and the UAE.
The conditions in Abu Dhabi are expected to play a role, with temperatures climbing as high as 36°C. Captains noted that the pitch could favour batting under lights, which influenced Oman’s decision to field first.
Speaking at the toss, Oman skipper Jatinder Singh said: “We are going to bowl first. The ball comes nicely on to the bat at night and travels quickly as well. We had an off day in the first match, but the boys are ready to apply themselves today. Aryan Bisht is making his debut, and we have made three changes overall.”
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem accepted the toss result with confidence.
“We are happy to bowl first as the pitch is looking good and may offer some assistance. We have come here with a fresh plan and are determined to win. This will be our sixth match against Oman, and we want to maintain our record. We have made one change, with Jawad coming in for Simranjeet.”
UAE Playing XI
Muhammad Waseem (c), Muhammad Zohaib, Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Jawad, Junaid Siddique.
Oman Playing XI
Jatinder Singh (c), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Wasim Ali, Hassnain Shah, Shah Faisal, Aryan Bisht, Shakeel Ahmad, Samay Shrivastava, Jitenkumar Ramanandi.
