Oman clinch last-ball thriller against UAE

MUSCAT: Oman pulled off a sensational last-ball victory over the United Arab Emirates in the Asia Cup Rising Stars T20I in Doha on Sunday, bouncing back impressively after their opening loss to Pakistan A.

Chasing 155, Oman reached 155/8 off the final delivery, keeping fans on the edge of their seats in a gripping contest.

The win for Hammad Mirza-led side was the first in the ongoing tournament getting them the first points in the Group B that includes Pakistan A and India A.

Oman’s chase got off to a rocky start. Debutant Sufyan Yousaf departed early for 2, and Karan Sonavale was run out after a quickfire 14 off 5 balls) in the fourth over, leaving Oman at 38/2 in the fourth over. Captain Hammad Mirza fell in the same over after a breezy start with 28 off just 15 balls, including four boundaries and a six.

A solid fourth-wicket stand of 63 between Wasim Ali (30 off 28 balls) and another T20I debutant, Narayan Saishiv, who scored run-a-ball 31 kept Oman in contention before Saishiv departed in 13th over. Aryan Bisht’s 30 off 30 added the finishing touches with a 27-run key partnership with Wasim Ali setting up a tense chase.

Ali and Zikria Islam’s dismissals off successive deliveries in the 17th over of Muhammad Rohid saw Oman slide to 136/6.

Sufyan Mehmood and Bisht batted sensibly to take Oman to 151/6 in 19 overs. With just four to win in the final over, Mehmood was run out with one still needed off the fourth ball and off the next ball Bisht departed off Muhammad Arfan. Experienced Samay Shrivastav scampered for the single for a thrilling win off the last ball with two wickets in hand.

Earlier, UAE set a competitive total of 154/6. Syed Haider was the top scorer with 45 off 30 balls, striking four sixes. Yayin Kiran Rai made 34 from 26 deliveries, while Alishan Sharafu contributed 33 off 28. Other batsmen struggled to accelerate, and although Muhammad Arfan (10*) and Aayan Afzal Khan (7*) hit late boundaries, the UAE innings lacked the firepower to post a more daunting target.

For Oman, Wasim Ali, Shafiq Jan and Muzahir Raza picked two wickets each.

Brief scores: UAE 154/6 (Alishan Sharafu 33, Syed Haider 45, Yayin Kiran Rai 34; Wasim Ali 2/20, Muzahir Raza 2/24, Shafiq Jan 2/28) lost to Oman 155/8 (Narayan Saishiv 31, Wasim Ali 30, Aryan Bisht 30; Muhammad Rohid 3/31).