PAK vs OMA

That's all from us for this one. It was a dominant win for Pakistan in the end, but you have to give it up to Oman for the fight they put up in their debut Asia Cup game. Thank you so much for joining us for this epic encounter. Do join us for all the live action for the Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka game tomorrow. Until then, this is Meeth Agrawal and Bidipto Datta signing off.

Agha Salman (Pakistan captain): "With the bat we still need to do some work, but with the ball we were pretty good! We don't mind three spinners, they are different from one another. Also, Saim Ayub can chip in. In these conditions, spinners come in handy. With the way we started, we should have got 180. We have been playing good cricket in the last 2-3 months, so if we execute our plans, we are good enough to beat any team." 

Jatinder Singh (Oman Captain): "Restricting them under 160 was really good. Really proud of the boys. They were bang on target. Really executed the plans well. 10/10 performance with the ball. We didn't get things right with the bat. We could have batted well and we are a better side than that. (On plans vs India) We'll back ourselves and be confident without thinking who's bowling."

Mohammad Haris (Player of the Match, 66 runs off 43 balls): "Feeling really well! It was an important win! The pitch looked pretty flat, but when we batted, it wasn't so easy. I'm okay with batting at any number for my team. I want to get on with it with the bat, and our skipper also wants us to be positive." 

LOWEST TOTALS IN MEN'S T20I ASIA CUP

38 | Hong Kong vs Pakistan | 10.4 overs | Sharjah | 2 Sep 2022
57 | U.A.E. vs India | 13.1 overs | Dubai (DICS) | 10 Sep 2025
67 | Oman vs Pakistan | 16.4 overs | Dubai (DICS) | 12 Sep 2025
81/9 | U.A.E. vs India | 20.0 overs | Mirpur | 3 Mar 2016
82 | U.A.E. vs Bangladesh | 17.4 overs | Mirpur | 26 Feb 2016

9:55 PM Local Time, 11:25 PM IST: Oman - 67 all out!
Pakistan win by 93 runs!

Mohammad Haris - 66 (43) | Faheem Ashraf - 2/6
Aamir Kaleem - 3/31 & 13 (11) | Hammad Mirza - 27 (23)

A dominant victory for Pakistan to kick off their Asia Cup campaign, as they beat Oman by a massive 93 runs. Pakistan finished with 160/7 on the board, and in reply, Oman were bowled out for just 67 - the third-lowest total in Men's T20I Asia Cup history.

A brilliant show with the ball by Pakistan after a not-so-great performance with the bat. The redemption story of the night was undoubtedly Saim Ayub. After his golden duck in the first innings, he took two crucial wickets inside the powerplay, getting rid of both Oman openers and turning the tide of the match. From there, the spinners went to work, and Oman's batters had no answers. Only Hammad Mirza looked in touch, but he watched helplessly as wickets fell like a pack of cards at the other end. Ultimately, he too fell under pressure as Oman got bundled on 67.

But Pakistan's victory was not as simple as it looked on paper. Their first innings was a total rollercoaster. You have to give it up for Oman and how they bowled. This is their first-ever Asia Cup, and they came out with a plan and delivered.

It was a dream start for them, with Faisal Shah, who ended with a three-fer, getting rid of Saim Ayub for a golden duck on the very first ball. They cramped Pakistan for room in the first five overs and really put the pressure on.

That's when Mohammad Haris decided he had enough. He went ballistic in the last over of the powerplay, taking Aamir Kaleem for 16 runs. From there, he and Sahibzada Farhan took the game away from Oman. Haris was the aggressor, going on to score a brilliant 66, his maiden T20I fifty and stitching an 85-run partnership.

Just when it looked like Pakistan would cruise past 180, the game flipped on its head again. Aamir Kaleem, who had dropped Farhan earlier, redeemed himself in spectacular fashion. He got both Farhan and Haris in successive overs and then dismissed skipper Agha Salman for a golden duck. All of a sudden, Pakistan was in trouble, but Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Nawaz got them to a respectable total.

For Oman, a forgettable performance with the bat, but they'll take the positives from their bowling, which was stuff of dreams for a team in their debut Asia Cup game. As for Pakistan, they'll know they have things to work on before they meet India next.

16.4 Abrar Ahmed to Shakeel Ahmed, THE RESISTANCE FROM SHAKEEL COMES TO AN END! PAKISTAN WIN. Good length and flat around off. Shakeel charged down the wicket and swung hard through the line. He got a good piece of it and cleared the in-field but Shaheen at long-off was there to take an easy flat catch with fingers pointing up! 

15.5 Sufiyan Muqeem to Shakeel Ahmed, googly on off-and-middle on the good length. Shakeel still manages to pat it to the right of the bowler.