ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) clinched their first victory in the ACC Men’s Asia T20 Cup 2025 with a commanding 42-run win against Oman on Monday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, powered by captain Muhammad Waseem’s milestone half-century and Junaid Siddique’s destructive spell.
After being sent in to bat first by Oman skipper Jatinder Singh, UAE’s openers laid a strong foundation. Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu attacked from the outset, putting up a 50-run stand inside the powerplay. By the halfway stage, they had steered their side to 81 without loss.
Sharafu went on to complete his 10th T20I half-century but was bowled by Jiten Ramanandi immediately after reaching 51 from 38 deliveries. Asif Khan followed soon after, dismissed cheaply by Samay Shrivastava.
Waseem, however, anchored the innings. The UAE captain not only compiled a composed 69 off 54 balls, with six fours and three sixes, but also became the first Emirati batter to surpass 3,000 runs in T20 cricket. His knock held the innings together before he fell in the final over.
Contributions from Mohammad Zohaib (21 off 13) and Harshit Kaushik (19 not out off eight) lifted UAE to a competitive 172-5 in their 20 overs.
Oman’s chase faltered almost immediately. Junaid Siddique struck twice in his opening spell, removing Aamir Kaleem for two and then captain Jatinder Singh, who had briefly threatened with 20 from just 10 balls. By the third over, Oman were tottering at 23-2.
The collapse deepened as Haider Ali and Mohammad Rohid made further inroads, dismissing Wasim Ali (1) and Hammad Mirza (5) respectively. Haider struck again to remove Shah Faisal for nine, leaving Oman struggling at 50-5 inside seven overs.
A brief recovery came through Aryan Bisht (24 off 32) and wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla (20 off 17), who shared a 38-run stand.
But once Jawadullah dismissed Bisht and later Ramanandi (13), the resistance ended. Junaid returned to finish the job, claiming Shukla and Hassnain Shah in the same over to end with figures of 4-23. Oman were eventually bowled out for 130 in 18.4 overs.
For UAE, Haider Ali and Jawadullah took two wickets each, while Rohid added one.
