Easy win over Oman, brilliant start for Pakistan

Pakistan made a spectacular start to their Asia Cup campaign, winning their opening match convincingly. At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, a brilliant half-century from Mohammad Haris propelled Pakistan to set a target of 161 runs for Oman. In reply, Oman were bowled out for just 67, handing a massive 93-run victory to Salman Akhtar-led Pakistan.

Oman faced trouble from the very beginning while chasing 161. The Pakistani bowlers dominated the game, leaving Omani batsmen struggling against controlled spells from Shaheen Shah Afridi, Asim Iqbal, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Fahim Ashraf.

The collapse began with Asim Iqbal’s spin. He claimed his first wicket on his very first ball of the second over and struck again in the same over. Both openers, Jatinder Singh (2) and Amir Kaleem (13), fell in successive overs, putting Oman under severe pressure. The experienced Asim Iqbal exploited the openers’ weaknesses perfectly, leaving the opposition confused against his spin.

The third batsman, Hammad Mirza, tried to resist with a 27-run innings off 23 balls, but the rest of the lineup crumbled under the bowling of Fahim Ashraf and Sufiyan Muqeem. Oman lost their last six wickets for just 25 runs, ending their innings at 67 in 16.4 overs. Apart from Amir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza, only Shakil Ahmed reached double figures with 10 runs, batting at number nine.

For Pakistan, Asim Iqbal, Fahim Ashraf, and Sufiyan Muqeem picked up 2 wickets each, while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz claimed one apiece.

Earlier, Pakistan batted first after winning the toss. Opener Asim Iqbal failed to get off the mark, but Mohammad Haris played a stellar knock, scoring 66 off 43 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes. He shared an 85-run partnership with Sahibzada Farhan (29) for the second wicket, laying the foundation for Pakistan’s innings.

The partnership broke at 89 when Farhan got out, and Haris fell at 102, bowled by Amir Kaleem. Despite this, Fakhar Zaman (22) and Mohammad Nawaz (19) helped Pakistan reach 160 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. For Oman, Amir Kaleem and Shah Faisal took 3 wickets each.

Mohammad Haris was named Player of the Match for his brilliant 66-run innings, which laid the platform for Pakistan’s commanding win.