Sunday 03 / May / 2026
MUSCAT: Pace spearhead Junaid Siddique's devastating spell of six for 49 and a commanding top-order display propelled the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to a convincing 54-run win over Oman in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Kirtipur, Nepal, on Sunday.
In a rain-affected contest reduced to 47 overs per side due to a wet outfield, UAE piled up an imposing 308/8 before bowling Oman out for 254 in 39.5 overs to complete a clean sweep of their two meetings in the tri-series.
Chasing 309, Oman were blown away early by Siddique’s fiery burst. The right-arm quick ripped through the top order to leave them reeling at 26/3 inside five overs, removing captain Jatinder Singh (9), Ashish Odedara (0) and Pruthvikumar Machhi (4) in a lethal opening spell.
Oman attempted a recovery through Hammad Mirza and Aryan Bisht, who added stability with a 62-run stand after the early collapse. Mirza struck a composed 83 off 82 balls before being run out, while Bisht chipped in with 27, but the asking rate kept climbing. Mirza and Jiten Ramanandi then forged an 87-run partnership to raise hopes but Mirza’s unfortunate dismissal put brakes on.
The innings was revived briefly by a counter-attacking 91 not out from Ramanandi, whose 62-ball knock, studded with seven fours and six sixes, kept Oman in the hunt. However, lack of support from the rest of the batting line-up—with all other batters except Wasim Ali (12) falling for single-digit scores—proved costly.
Siddique returned to clean up the tail and finished with a career-best 6 for 49, sealing the result emphatically as Oman fell well short.
Earlier, UAE built their total on two substantial partnerships. Openers Aryansh Sharma (50) and Adeeb Usmani (72) laid a solid foundation with a 111-run stand in 21 overs. After Usmani’s dismissal, Harpreet Singh and Muhammad Shahdad took control with a fluent 123-run partnership for the third wicket.
Harpreet hammered 77 off 65 balls, while Shahdad added a brisk 74 from 64 deliveries as UAE accelerated strongly in the latter stages. Oman’s bowlers struggled at the death, conceding 70 runs in the final five overs as UAE surged past the 300 mark.
For Oman, Muhammed Imran (3/70) and Nadeem Khan (2/55) were the pick of the bowlers, but the late onslaught undid their earlier discipline.
Under coach Sulakshan Kulkarni, Oman have now won one match — against Nepal — in the tri-series and will conclude their campaign against the hosts on May 5.
Oman remain third in the standings with 31 points from 27 games while the UAE are rooted at the bottom with 14 from 24 games. USA top the standings with 36 from 24 while Scotland are second with 34 from 28 games.
Brief scores: UAE 308/8 (Aryansh Sharma 50, Adeeb Usmani 72, Harpreet Singh 77, Muhammad Shahdad 74; Muhammed Imran 3/70, Nadeem Khan 2/55) beat Oman 254 in 39.5 overs (Hammad Mirza 83, Jiten Ramanandi 91*; Junaid Siddique 6/49, Muhammad Shahdad 2/35).
