Media365
NEW DELHI: Skipper Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu hammered brisk half-centuries before a fine 4/23 spell from Junaid Siddique as United Arab Emirates (UAE) thrashed Oman by 42 runs to keep their Asia Cup Super Four hopes alive on Monday.Waseem anchored the innings with a 69 off 54 balls, falling only in the final over, while opening partner Sharafu shook off a scratchy start to blaze 51 from 38 balls. Their 94-run stand powered UAE to 172/5 after being sent in.The total proved well beyond Oman’s reach as they folded for 130 in 18.4 overs. A win over Pakistan on Wednesday could now take UAE into the next stage, provided India beat Oman in the final group game.Siddique struck early, removing openers Aamir Kaleem (2) and skipper Jatinder Singh (20) with just 23 on the board. Left-arm spinner Haider Ali (2/22) deepened the collapse as Oman slumped to 50/5 inside seven overs.Aryan Bisht and Vinayak Shukla briefly revived the chase, taking the score to 74/5, but Bisht’s 38-run stand with Shukla ended when he was bowled by left-arm pacer Muhammad Jawadullah (2/18) while attempting an inside-out shot. Jawadullah also dismissed Jiten Ramanandi (13) before Siddique returned to clean up the tail.Earlier, Ramanandi (2/24) was the pick of Oman’s bowlers after Waseem and Sharafu’s onslaught. Sharafu kickstarted the innings with crisp boundaries through the off-side off Shah Faisal and later struck three successive fours off Hassnain Shah.Waseem joined the charge with three boundaries in Kaleem’s first over as UAE raced to 50 in the powerplay. The duo added sixes off Samay Shrivastava and received reprieves when Hammad Mirza and Shakeel Ahmed dropped catches, helping UAE reach 83/0 at the halfway mark.Sharafu eventually fell to Ramanandi, bowled while attempting another off-side hit. Both teams had lost their opening matches to Pakistan and India respectively, making this a must-win clash for UAE—and they delivered in style.
