United Arab Emirates (UAE) put up a splendid all-round show to demolish Oman by 42 runs in their Asia Cup 2025 clash. Captain Muhammad Waseem shone with the bat, and Oman was subdued in their batting by a disciplined bowling effort triggered by Junaid Siddique, leading to a bright victory for the UAE.
After opting to bat, the UAE made a commendable score of 172/5 in 20 overs. Captain Muhammad Waseem anchored the innings with an elegant 69 off 54 deliveries, laced with six fours and three sixes, while Alishan Sharafu provided solid support with a good half-century of 51 off 38 balls, giving UAE a good, steady start. Towards the end, Muhammad Zohaib (21 off 13) and Harshit Kaushik (19 off 8) provided the fireworks that lifted UAE beyond the 170-mark.
For Oman, Jiten Ramanandi was the standout bowler with 2/24 in his four overs; Hassnain Shah pocketed one wicket, but the rest of the attack failed to contain the batting momentum brought in by the UAE, especially during the death overs.
While chasing 173, Oman never seemed settled and fell for 130 in 18.4 overs. Continuing to put up pressure, the UAE bowlers broke Oman’s progression with regular wickets taken. Aryan Bisht was the highest scorer for Oman with 24 in 32 balls, whereas Vinayak Shukla contributed 20 in 17 balls, but without partnerships, Oman was kept behind in the required run rate.
The second inning was Junaid Siddique's show, as he wreaked havoc on the batting of Oman with phenomenal figures of 4/23 in his 4 overs. He was well supported by Haider Ali (2/22) and Muhammad Jawadullah (2/18), as the bowlers from UAE executed their plans with discipline and perfection.
In the middle overs of the match, Siddique was the man who struck the telling blows by dismissing all the key batters in a short time frame, and the chasing side was left in utter turmoil from there on. UAE tightened their screws and made sure of a comfortable finish afterwards.
This put UAE on the road to mounting consistency in the tournament, with their batting depth and bowling firepower working along at the right time, whereas Oman will need to reorganize themselves and address the issue of batting, with building partnerships under pressure a major predicament.
With this 42-run win, UAE earned two valuable points and settled their confidence for sterner fights up ahead. The balance of their side, solid top-order batting supported by effective bowlers, makes them a dangerous proposition in Asia Cup 2025.