Pakistan vs Oman Asia Cup 2025 Highlights: Muqeem, Ashraf set up massive 93-run win for Pakistan

Right then, that is it from this game and so far, we have seen 4 fairly one-sided games and this was somewhat expected as well, given the fixtures. However, the first weekend of the 2025 Asia Cup is about to bring a couple of big clashes, starting with Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh on Saturday, 13 September and that game will begin at 2.30 pm GMT. The Lankan Lions vs the Bangla Tigers is a brewing rivalry in cricket and it should be an exciting watch, so do join us early for the build-up as well. Cheers!

Salman Agha, the captain of Pakistan, says that they were pretty good with the ball, but still need to improve with the bat. Adds that they don't mind playing with the spinners and they are different and Saim Ayub can chip in as well. Mentions that they should have gotten 180 with the start they got. Says that they have been playing good cricket in the last 2-3 months, and if they execute their plans, they can beat any team in the world.

The Oman skipper, Jatinder Singh, says that restricting Pakistan to 160 was very good and is proud of the boys. Goes on to add that the boys executed the plans brilliantly with the ball but also mentions that their batters failed to hold their nerves and reckons that they are better than what they showed today. Adds that they are looking forward to the next game and want to keep a positive mindset.

Mohammad Haris is the PLAYER OF THR MATCH for his fine knock. He says that it is a great feeling and it was a crucial win. Adds that the pitch looked flat, but it wasn't easy. Mentions that he is happy to bat anywhere according to the needs of the team. Ends by saying that he just wants to get on with the bat and the skipper also want them to be positive all the time.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the game, Pakistan won the toss and Salman Agha opted to bat first, as opposed to what India did against a minnow. The idea for Pakistan was to go hard with the bat but they lost Saim Ayub very early in the piece. However, Mohammad Haris who was promoted back to his favored number 3 position, managed to up the ante and brought up a fiery 50 as Sahibzada Farhan continued to play second fiddle. But once Haris got out, Oman capitalized and their bowlers, led by Aamir Kaleem and Shah Faisal, kept on picking up wickets at regular intervals and held Pakistan down to a not-so-big total of 160.

This is Oman's 2nd lowest T20I total, their lowest being 47 against England in last year's T20 World Cup but again, this will be another learning curve for the associate nation. They did lose a wicket in the second over but for a few minutes, things started to look positive as Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza took on Pakistan's premier pacer Shaheen Afridi. However, the Oman batters did not have much of an answer to the opposition spinners and kept on losing wickets in a heap. Mirza was the only bright spark with a knock of 27, whereas Kaleem was the only other batter who even got into double figures until Shakeel Ahmed managed to hit a six just before getting out and got to 10 runs.

Not often do we see Pakistan play more than two spinners, but they played 3 proper spinners in this game and also had Saim Ayub as a very handy option. And it was Ayub who picked up a couple of early wickets to get the ball rolling. Sufiyan Muqeem and his left-arm wrist spin were too good for the opposition and even though Abrar Ahmed didn't get a wicket to begin with, he too bowled well and picked up the final wicket of the game. Shaheen Afridi, playing as the single frontline pacer, did get a wicket late in the game as Faheem Ashraf picked up two, and overall, it was a happy day for Pakistan in the field.

A rollicking win for Pakistan and this is just the start they would have wanted heading into that big clash against India in a couple of days' time. They did falter with the blade, but the bowlers were on song and have made light work of the Oman lineup here.

16.4: Abrar Ahmed to Shakeel Ahmed, OUT! TAKEN! DONE AND DUSTED! Abrar Ahmed wraps things! He tosses up the leggie, full and on off, turns in. Shakeel Ahmed comes down the track to repeat the dose but this time fails to get near the pitch of the ball and mistimes it straight towards long off. Shaheen Afridi comes forward a bit and takes a fine catch. PAKISTAN WIN BY 93 RUNS!

16.3: Abrar Ahmed to Shakeel Ahmed, Flighted, full and on middle and leg, Shakeel Ahmed nudges it to short mid-wicket.

16.2: Abrar Ahmed to Shakeel Ahmed, SIX! Finally takes his chance! Tossed up, full and on off, Shakeel Ahmed skips down the track, gets to the pitch of it and tonks it over the long off fence for a biggie.

16.1: Abrar Ahmed to Shakeel Ahmed, Googly, short and on off, turns away, Shakeel Ahmed pushes it towards short covers.

15.6: Sufiyan Muqeem to Shakeel Ahmed, Darts this one full and on middle, Shakeel Ahmed taps it to the off side for a quick single. Mohammad Haris, the keeper runs forward to his left, collects it and has a shy at the bowler's end but misses.

15.5: Sufiyan Muqeem to Shakeel Ahmed, Drags his length back, on middle, Shakeel Ahmed moves back and punches it to short covers.

15.4: Sufiyan Muqeem to Shakeel Ahmed, Quicker, short and outside off, Shakeel Ahmed tries to cut it away but misses.

15.3: Sufiyan Muqeem to Shakeel Ahmed, Flatter, full and on middle, Shakeel Ahmed knocks it back to the bowler.

15.2: Sufiyan Muqeem to Samay Shrivastava, Goes short and around off, Samay Shrivastava stabs it out towards extra covers for a run.

15.1: Sufiyan Muqeem to Shakeel Ahmed, Flighted, full and around off, Shakeel Ahmed steers it throughj point for a single.

14.6: Abrar Ahmed to Samay Shrivastava, Another googly, short and on middle, turns in, Samay Shrivastava stays back and manages to tuck it towards square leg. Oman is just delaying the inevitable here!

14.5: Abrar Ahmed to Samay Shrivastava, Flighted, full and on off, Samay Shrivastava pushes it to covers.

14.4: Abrar Ahmed to Samay Shrivastava, Wrong'un, short and around off, Samay Shrivastava moves across to cut but gets gets an inside edge that just goes past the stumps.

14.3: Abrar Ahmed to Samay Shrivastava, Slows it up, full and on middle, does not turn much, Samay Shrivastava prods forward and fends it off the inner half of the bat to the leg side.

14.2: Abrar Ahmed to Shakeel Ahmed, Tossed up, full and around off, Shakeel Ahmed scythes it down to long off for a single.

14.1: Abrar Ahmed to Shakeel Ahmed, Floated, short and around off, Shakeel Ahmed stabs it out to short covers.

13.6: Shaheen Afridi to Samay Shrivastava, Swing and a miss! Goes around the wicket and serves this full, on off, Samay Shrivastava makes room and has a wild swing at it but fails to connect. Afridi has his hands on his face as this was inches away from the off stump again.

13.5: Shaheen Afridi to Shakeel Ahmed, Pitched up and on middle, Shakeel Ahmed clips it through mid-wicket for a single.

13.4: Shaheen Afridi to Shakeel Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi sees the batter back away and bowls this full and on off, angles in, Shakeel Ahmed throws his bat at it but hits it on the ground and misses. The ball just goes past the off pole.

13.3: Shaheen Afridi to Shakeel Ahmed, Slower one, good length and on middle, Shakeel Ahmed gets behind the line of it and blocks it out.

13.2: Shaheen Afridi to Shakeel Ahmed, Close! Back of a length and around off, takes off a bit and skids through as well, Shakeel Ahmed has a tentative push at it but gets beaten on the outside edge.

13.1: Shaheen Afridi to Shakeel Ahmed, Fuller in length, on middle, shaping in, Shakeel Ahmed fends it as the ball rolls away towards mid-wicket.

12.6: Faheem Ashraf to Samay Shrivastava, FOUR! Oh..wow! A surprise boundary! Much fuller and on middle, Samay Shrivastava gets right underneath it and lofts it over mid on for four runs.

12.5: Faheem Ashraf to Samay Shrivastava, Beaten! Pulls his length back a bit, on the fifth stump line, shapes away, Samay Shrivastava looks to push it away but the ball zips past the outside edge.

12.4: Faheem Ashraf to Samay Shrivastava, Pitched up again, attacks the stumps, Samay Shrivastava pushes it back to the bowler again.

12.3: Faheem Ashraf to Samay Shrivastava, Goes fuller and on middle, Samay Shrivastava blocks it back to the bowler.

12.3: Faheem Ashraf to Samay Shrivastava, WIDE! Bangs in a slower bouncer, middle, but this spins way down the leg side, Samay Shrivastava lets it go. Wided.

12.2: Faheem Ashraf to Samay Shrivastava, Good-length delivery around off, holds its line, Samay Shrivastava leaves it alone.

Samay Shrivastava is the last man in for Oman.

12.1: Faheem Ashraf to Hassnain Shah, OUT! CHOPPED ON! Faheem Ashraf hits the deck hard and bowls it around off stump. Hassnain Shah hangs back in the crease and looks to pull across the line. However, the ball isn't quite short enough and it goes off the inside edge to crash back onto the stumps. Hassnain departs for 1 (2) and Oman are now 51/9!

11.6: Shaheen Afridi to Shakeel Ahmed, Fuller and straighter, honing in on the stumps, Shakeel Ahmed pushes it out to mid off.

11.5: Shaheen Afridi to Shakeel Ahmed, Good change-up! Takes pace off and bowls it a tad full on off, Shakeel Ahmed is early into the drive and checks his shot but the ball beats the outside edge.

11.4: Shaheen Afridi to Shakeel Ahmed, Brings out a bouncer now, digging it in short and outside off. Shakeel backs away to uppercut but fails to get a bat on it.

11.3: Shaheen Afridi to Shakeel Ahmed, Full and on the fifth stump line, Shakeel Ahmed drives it firmly but straight to covers.

11.2: Shaheen Afridi to Hassnain Shah, A length ball from around the stumps, angled into the batter, Hassnain Shah clips it past square leg for a single.

Hassnain Shah is in next.

11.1: Shaheen Afridi to Shah Faisal, OUT! BOWLED'EM! Shaheen Afridi gets into the wicket-taking act now and every Pakistan bowler, barring Abrar Ahmed has at least one wicket to his name. Good-length delivery, darted into the pads at around 137 kph. Shah Faisal backs away past the leg stump and gets cramped up and eventually, the ball flicks the pads and goes on to hit the stumps. The bails come off and down goes the 8th wicket for Oman. They are really going down in a hurry now.

10.6: Faheem Ashraf to Shakeel Ahmed, Back of a length and around off, fended away into the off side behind point.

10.5: Faheem Ashraf to Shakeel Ahmed, Oh, that's fallen in no man's land! Banged in short and around off Shakeel Ahmed wanders down the track and ends up spooning it in front of the point region, well short of the onrushing fielder.

10.4: Faheem Ashraf to Shakeel Ahmed, Short of a length and over off, Shakeel Ahmed has a late poke at it but gets beaen past the outside edge.

Shakeel Ahmed is in next.

10.3: Faheem Ashraf to Zikriya Islam, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Zikriya Islam has reviewed it immediately, though! Faheem Ashraf bowls a heavy ball, full and just around off stump. Islam hangs deep and gets side on, trying to nail it over mid-wicket but seems to have got an inside edge through to the keeper. Mohammad Haris takes an easy catch and up goes the finger. The third umpire is called in but replays do confirm that there was an inside edge and Islam has to walk for a duck. Oman are now 50/7!

10.2: Faheem Ashraf to Zikriya Islam, Hard length around off, slanting back in, Islam stands tall and punches it to extra cover.

10.1: Faheem Ashraf to Shah Faisal, Starts over the wicket and bowls it short at the pads, this is flicked off the hips and through backward square leg for a single.

DRINKS! Well, then Pakistan have shown their might with the ball as expected. But unlike in the past, where the pacers have been their strength, this evening, it has been a quartet of spinners who have wreaked havoc. Sufiyan Muqeem has been the pick of the bunch but all 4 of them have bowled well and Oman's promising showing in the first innings has started to fade away. They need some sort of a partnership and try and muster up a few runs, give the opposition bowlers something to think about.

9.6: Abrar Ahmed to Zikriya Islam, Dragged back, on middle, Zikriya Islam stays back and nudges it to mid-wicket. MAIDEN OVER!

9.5: Abrar Ahmed to Zikriya Islam, A googly, full and on middle, turns in sharply, Zikriya Islam strides out to play but fails to read it and gets hit on the pads.

9.4: Abrar Ahmed to Zikriya Islam, Flighted, full and on middle, Zikriya Islam uses his feet and tucks it to mid-wicket.

9.3: Abrar Ahmed to Zikriya Islam, Goes short and around off, Zikriya Islam stabs it out to extra covers.

9.2: Abrar Ahmed to Zikriya Islam, Fires one full and on leg, Zikriya Islam fails to flick it away and gets hit on the pads.

9.1: Abrar Ahmed to Zikriya Islam, Tossed up, full and on middle, Zikriya Islam blocks it out.

8.6: Sufiyan Muqeem to Shah Faisal, Slows it up, full and on middle, Shah Faisal blocks it out. 

Shah Faisal walks out to bat now.

8.5: Sufiyan Muqeem to Hammad Mirza, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Double strike for Pakistan! Sufiyan Muqeem dishes out a googly, full and around off, turns away. Hammad Mirza goes down to sweep it away but has to drag it from outside off. He ends up getting a slight top edge towards first slip, where Salman Agha shows great reflexes to grab it to his left with the ball almost behind him. Oman are six down now!

8.4: Sufiyan Muqeem to Hammad Mirza, Quicker, dragged back, on middle, Hammad Mirza stays back and clips it to square leg.

Zikriya Islam is in next.

8.3: Sufiyan Muqeem to Vinayak Shukla, OUT! SHUKLA IS RUN OUT! Oman are falling apart here! This is the last thing they would have wanted, a run out. Sufiyan Muqeem drops it short and well outside off, Vinayak Shukla reaches out and stabs it out towards point. Mirza sets off for the run, but Shukla takes off a bit late. Shaheen Afridi collects the ball on the bounce, takes aim and hits the bullseye at the bowler's end. Shukla puts in a desperate dive, but he is still miles short of the crease. The replay confirms the same, and half the Oman side are back in the hut now

8.2: Sufiyan Muqeem to Hammad Mirza, Flatter, full and around off, Hammad Mirza guides it through point for a run.

8.1: Sufiyan Muqeem to Vinayak Shukla, Darts in a yorker, on off, Vinayak Shukla jams it out to long off for a single.

7.6: Mohammad Nawaz to Hammad Mirza, FOUR! A bit sloppy in the field! Flatter, full and on middle, angling in, Hammad Mirza goes down and swipes it away wide of deep square leg. Faheem Ashraf runs to his right and slides in, but his knee gets stuck in on the ground and he lets it through for a boundary.

7.5: Mohammad Nawaz to Hammad Mirza, RIPPER! Tossed up, full and on off, grips and turns away sharply, Hammad Mirza prods forward to block but gets beaten on the outside edge.

7.4: Mohammad Nawaz to Vinayak Shukla, Floated, full and on off, Vinayak Shukla drives it through covers for a single.

7.3: Mohammad Nawaz to Vinayak Shukla, Slows it up, full and on leg, Vinayak Shukla defends it on the front foot.

Vinayak Shukla is the next batter in.

7.2: Mohammad Nawaz to Sufyan Mehmood, OUT! TAKEN! Mohammad Nawaz joins the party now! He uses the angle from around the wicket, serves this full and around off. Sufyan Mehmood goes down to slog sweep it, but has to drag it a bit and fails to get any power on the shot. The ball flies high in the air towards deep mid-wicket, where Hasan Nawaz nonchalantly takes a couple of steps forward and grabs it with ease. Oman are 42/4, still needing 119 in 76 balls!

7.1: Mohammad Nawaz to Sufyan Mehmood, Tossed up, full and on middle, Sufyan Mehmood drills it to the right of the bowler, as Nawaz collects it.

6.6: Sufiyan Muqeem to Sufyan Mehmood, Dragged back, on middle, Sufyan Mehmood tucks it towards mid-wicket for one. Just 2 runs and a wicket from the over.

6.5: Sufiyan Muqeem to Sufyan Mehmood, Flighted, full and on off, Sufyan Mehmood knocks it back to the bowler.

6.4: Sufiyan Muqeem to Sufyan Mehmood, Darts one full and on middle, angling in, Sufyan Mehmood blocks it out.

Sufyan Mehmood is in at number 5 for Oman.

6.3: Sufiyan Muqeem to Mohammad Nadeem, OUT! TAKEN! That is an interesting delivery from Sufiyan Muqeem, but it has got him a wicket here. He bangs this into the pitch, on middle, literally a bouncer but not sure whether he meant it or it just got stuck in his hands. Anyways, Mohammad Nadeem gets surprised by it as he swings across the line but takes his eyes off. The ball takes the top edge and loops towards short fine, where Abrar Ahmed takes a dolly. Oman are 41/3!

6.2: Sufiyan Muqeem to Mohammad Nadeem, Shorter again and around off, Mohammad Nadeem waits for it and tries to steer it away but fails to beat short third.

6.1: Sufiyan Muqeem to Hammad Mirza, Flatter, short and on middle, Hammad Mirza stays back and flicks it towards square leg for a single.

5.6: Mohammad Nawaz to Hammad Mirza, Dragged back, on middle, Hammad Mirza works it towards mid-wicket for one. Oman are 40/2 at the end of the Powerplay. Pakistan were 47/1 at the same stage.

5.5: Mohammad Nawaz to Hammad Mirza, Shorter again and outside off, Hammad Mirza punches it to extra covers.

5.4: Mohammad Nawaz to Hammad Mirza, Much quicker, short and on leg, Hammad Mirza looks to flick it away but plays it onto his pads as the ball rolls behind.

5.3: Mohammad Nawaz to Hammad Mirza, SIX! That is a sweet hit! Tossed up, full and on middle and leg, Hammad Mirza goes down on one knee and sweeps it with excellent timing as the ball sails over the deep square leg fence for a biggie.

5.2: Mohammad Nawaz to Mohammad Nadeem, A bit short and on middle, Mohammad Nadeem nudges it towards square leg for a quick single. 

5.1: Mohammad Nawaz to Mohammad Nadeem, Slower through the air, full and on off, sticks to the surface a bit, Mohammad Nadeem just fends it to the off side.

4.6: Abrar Ahmed to Hammad Mirza, A string of four dots to end the over from Abrar! Quicker and flatter, just outside off, Hammad Mirza cuts it off the back foot but finds the fielder at point.

4.5: Abrar Ahmed to Hammad Mirza, Dragged length on off, it is the googly. Mirza picks it well, rocks back and punches it out into the off side.

4.4: Abrar Ahmed to Hammad Mirza, Flighted ball around off, Mirza eases it towards mid off and looks for a quick single but has to scurry back.

4.3: Abrar Ahmed to Hammad Mirza, Pushed through around off, swept away firmly but straight to the mid-wicket fielder.

4.2: Abrar Ahmed to Hammad Mirza, FOUR! Uppish but in the gap! Fractionally short and outside off, Hammad Mirza rocks back and makes room before cutting it through cover-point for a boundary.

4.1: Abrar Ahmed to Mohammad Nadeem, Starts off with a full ball on off and middle, Nadeem leans on and clips it in front of square leg for a single.

3.6: Saim Ayub to Hammad Mirza, Nice and full, at the stumps, Mirza leans on and plays it back to the bowler. End of another successful over from Saim Ayub.

3.5: Saim Ayub to Hammad Mirza, A bit quicker through the air and around off, punched away straight to covers.

3.4: Saim Ayub to Hammad Mirza, Shortish length, turning back into the batter. Hammad Mirza rocks back and swats it high and over wide mid on. The ball plugs in the outfield and the batters get a couple of runs.

3.3: Saim Ayub to Mohammad Nadeem, Block and run! Floated up, full and around off, Nadeem eases it into the off side and picks up a quick single.

3.2: Saim Ayub to Mohammad Nadeem, Pushed through the air, it is the carrom ball but too full. Mohammad Nadeem lunges and defends it into the off side.

Mohammad Nadeem comes out to the middle now.

3.1: Saim Ayub to Aamir Kaleem, OUT! LBW! A huge appeal and up goes the finger. Aamir Kaleem has a chat with his partner and opts not to review, probably the right call as that looked pretty straight. Saim Ayub jogs in from around the wicket and bowls it flatter at the stumps. The ball also stays low as Kaleem tries to get inside the line and angle it behind square leg. He misses and gets hit on the pads and Ayub has his second wicket.

2.6: Shaheen Afridi to Hammad Mirza, Around the wicket to the right-hander, bowled full and outside off. Mirza plays an eye-catching cover drive but fails to get it through. 17 off the over and Oman are starting to grow in confidence.

2.5: Shaheen Afridi to Aamir Kaleem, Fuller one on the pads, flicked away uppishly and wide of the fine leg fielder for a single.

2.4: Shaheen Afridi to Aamir Kaleem, FOUR! Wow, that is aggressive from Aamir Kaleem! Kaleem backs away, exposing all three stumps and Afridi does go full and straight, but Kaleem manages to smash it away past point for another boundary.

2.3: Shaheen Afridi to Aamir Kaleem, SIX! That's gone all the way! Dug in a bit short and towards the body, Aamir Kaleem swivels on his toes and pulls it flat over long leg for a biggie.

2.2: Shaheen Afridi to Hammad Mirza, Good running! Full and straight, swinging back into the right-hander. Mirza punches it to mid on and collects a quick single.

2.2: Shaheen Afridi to Hammad Mirza, Wide! A snorter of a short ball, but this is angled down the leg side. That one really flew off the deck.

2.1: Shaheen Afridi to Hammad Mirza, FOUR! That's glorious! Length ball, angled across off, Hammad Mirza takes half a step across to the off side and caresses it on the up, past the point fielder and the ball races away to the boundary.

1.6: Saim Ayub to Aamir Kaleem, Flights this one up and throws it a bit wide of the off stump, Kaleem sets up to slog sweep but the ball turns and bounces past the outside edge.

1.5: Saim Ayub to Aamir Kaleem, Quicker one, darted in from around the stumps, Kaleem backs away and chops it down towards short third.

1.4: Saim Ayub to Aamir Kaleem, The regulation off-spinner, on a length and outside off, Kaleem lunges across and sweeps it over backward square leg. A bit of hesitation between the batters but they manage t scamper back for the second run.

1.3: Saim Ayub to Hammad Mirza, This one is dragged short and outside off, Mirza rocks back and taps it past the diving cover fielder. The outfield is  bit sluggish and Shaheen Afridi manages to chase it down. Three runs added to the total.

1.2: Saim Ayub to Hammad Mirza, Floated up, on a nagging length and around middle, Hammad Mirza plays it late and in front of square leg.

Hammad Mirza walks out to bat at number 3.

1.1: Saim Ayub to Jatinder Singh, OUT! TIMBER! What a delivery to begin with from the part-timer! Saim Ayub comes from over the wicket and flicks this one from the front of the hand, landing it a touch full on middle and leg. Jatinder Singh presses back to play down the line but the ball turns away sharply and beats the outside edge to smash into off and middle. Ayub makes amends for getting out for a duck as he gets the Oman skipper for just one.

Saim Ayub to bowl from the other end.

0.6: Shaheen Afridi to Aamir Kaleem, Swing and a miss! A length ball at 136.6 kph, wide outside off and shaping in a touch. Aamir Kaleem gets down on one knee, looking to hammer it straight but is well beaten. Tidy start from Shaheen Afridi, just 2 runs off it.

0.5: Shaheen Afridi to Jatinder Singh, Pitches the ball up around off stump, Singh gets forward and drives it just wide of mid off for a quick single. Jatinder also brings up 1400 runs in T20I cricket.

0.4: Shaheen Afridi to Jatinder Singh, Oh, that's slipped out of the hand and Shaheen's got away with that. Looks to go full and straight but it ends up being a high full toss around off. Jatinder Singh is taken aback but manages to punch it down into the off side.

0.3: Shaheen Afridi to Aamir Kaleem, Oh, a surprise inswinger from Shaheen! Goes even fuller and darts it in at the pads, Aamir Kaleem is late to get his bat down and the ball goes off the pads towards backward square leg. Oman are off the mark with a leg bye.

0.2: Shaheen Afridi to Aamir Kaleem, More swing for the southpaw! Relatively full, a bit straighter on the stumps and moving away, Kaleem watches it all the way and puses it out into the off side.

0.1: Shaheen Afridi to Aamir Kaleem, A hint of movement right away for Shaheen! Full and around off tump, shaping away, Aamir Kaleem leans on and strokes it nicely but straight to covers.

We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle under the lights of the Dubai International Stadium. Skipper Jatinder Singh and Aamir Kaleem are the two openers for Oman. As expected, Shaheen Afridi will start proceedings with the ball. A slip in pace too. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Right then, 161 is the magic number for Oman if they want to cause an upset in this Asia Cup. However, it will not be easy, as the Men in Green have a quality bowling attack and a good mix of both pace and spin. Additionally, they enter this game having bowled the Afghans out for just 66 in the UAE Tri-Nation final, with Mohammad Nawaz leading the charge. So, they will be pretty confident of defending this one. Whatever the result might be, we are in for a lot of entertainment. Join us in a bit for the second essay. 

Oman will be delighted with their showing. Despite a dropped catch and a few lapses in the field, it was a commendable all-round effort. Shah Faisal set the tone with an early breakthrough, while the spinners kept things tight through the middle overs, denying Pakistan any real momentum. Aamir Kaleem’s brilliant three-wicket haul swung the game back in their favor, Shah returned to add two more to his tally, and Mohammad Nadeem chipped in with one as well. At one stage, Pakistan looked set for a total well beyond 180, but Oman’s spirited fightback kept them in check.

Pakistan’s innings got off to a rocky start with Saim Ayub falling early, but the decision to promote Haris to number three paid off brilliantly. He and Sahibzada Farhan steadied the ship with an 88-run stand, though Farhan struggled to find his rhythm throughout. Haris’s fluent 66 off 43 was the backbone of the innings, and without it, things could have unraveled quickly. His dismissal triggered a mini-collapse, and while Mohammad Nawaz injected some momentum with a brief cameo, Pakistan couldn’t finish with the flourish they would have hoped for.

A spirited bowling performance from Oman! They had their share of shaky moments, but held their nerve when it mattered most. To restrict a quality batting lineup like Pakistan to this total is something they would have gladly accepted at the start of the innings.

19.6: Mohammad Nadeem to Shaheen Afridi, A couple of runs to the end! Mohammad Nadeem gets the yorker right, on off, Shaheen Afridi jams it out towards long off and comes back for the second. Pakistan finish on 160/7!

Shaheen Afridi walks in to face the final delivery.

19.5: Mohammad Nadeem to Faheem Ashraf, OUT! TAKEN! Mohammad Nadeem also gets among the wickets here! He serves a high full toss, on middle, Faheem Ashraf's eyes light up as he looks to heave it across the line. However, he cannot get the required power and elevation on it. The ball goes miles in the air towards deep square leg, where Zikriya Islam settles under it and pouches it safely, tumbling backwards in the end. Pakistan are 158/7!

19.4: Mohammad Nadeem to Faheem Ashraf, Uppish but safe! Fuller and on middle, Faheem Ashraf tries to slog it away but gets a top edge. The ball goes high in the air but drops between the incoming long off fielder and the extra cover fielder who was running backwards. Two more added to the total.

19.3: Mohammad Nadeem to Faheem Ashraf, Pitched up and around off, Faheem Ashraf goes after it but mistimes it high in the air over point as the ball drops and slows down in the outfield. Two taken.

19.2: Mohammad Nadeem to Faheem Ashraf, FOUR! Put away! Low full toss, outside off, Faheem Ashraf just reaches out for it and slices it towards the vacant deep point fence for a boundary.

19.1: Mohammad Nadeem to Fakhar Zaman, Wonderful stop! A slower one, full toss, on middle, Fakhar Zaman goes down across, waits for it and scoops it wide of short fine. Samay Shrivastava puts in a full-length dive and stops it with his extended left arm. He saves a certain boundary there as the batters get just a single. 150 up for Pakistan!

19.1: Mohammad Nadeem to Fakhar Zaman, WIDE! Tries the wide yorker but bowls this a bit too outside off, Fakhar Zaman leaves it alone. Wided.

Faheem Ashraf walks in next to bat. Can Pakistan go past the 160-mark? Fakhar Zaman is on strike, but he has struggled to time the ball in the last over. Uh-ohh... Hassnain Shah came to bowl the final over, but now he is walking off the field, and the physio is out there to have a check on him beside the boundary cushions. He seems to be struggling with cramps in his right leg. Mohammad Nadeem will bowl the final six deliveries.

18.6: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Nawaz, OUT! TAKEN! Shah Faisal eventually gets his man, and no need of a review this time! Fuller in length and around off, it is there to be hit. Mohammad Nawaz looks to go big downtown but cannot quite get underneath the ball. He mistimes it high in the air towards long off, where the fielder comes forward and takes a good catch. Nawaz goes back for a quick 19 off 10, and Pakistan are 148/6!

Shah Faisal has bowled very cleverly so far in the over.

18.5: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Nawaz, A shout for caught behind, but turned down! However, the keeper looks confident, and Jatinder Singh takes the review. Shah Faisal bangs this into the pitch, gets some extra bounce as well. Mohammad Nawaz is not expecting that and tries to hook it away, but takes his eyes off. The ball goes past the outside edge to the keeper, who grabs it, but there is a bit of a noise as well. The replay and UltraEdge confirm that the noise is from the ball brushing the shoulder of Nawaz. Oman lose both the reviews!

18.4: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Nawaz, FOUR! A bit streaky! Shah misses the yorker and bowls a low full, angling into the pads. Mohammad Nawaz swings but gets it from the inside half of the bat through backward square leg. The fielder in the deep runs to his left and puts a dive in, but the ball wins the race to the fence.

18.3: Shah Faisal to Fakhar Zaman, So far so good from Shah Faisal! Just 4 from the first 3 balls, but he has to end it well. This is in the blockhole, on off, Fakhar Zaman forces it to long on for a run.

18.2: Shah Faisal to Fakhar Zaman, Takes pace off, fuller and around off, Fakhar Zaman drags it between deep mid-wicket and deep square leg for a couple of runs.

18.1: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Nawaz, A good yorker, on middle, Mohammad Nawaz just gets his bat down in time and fends it off the bottom edge to the leg side. A single taken.

How much would Pakistan want from here? 170 at least? With Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Nawaz on the crease, they can reach there in the last two overs. But Oman will be looking to stop them under 155 or something. Also, Shah Faisal will bowl the penultimate over.

17.6: Hassnain Shah to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR! Fine shot! Hassnain Shah bangs this into the pitch, on off, Fakhar Zaman waits for it to come to him and ramps it away to the third man fence for four more runs. 15 runs off the over!

17.5: Hassnain Shah to Fakhar Zaman, In the air...SAFE! Pitched up and around off, Fakhar Zaman looks to loft it away but ends up slicing it in the air. The ball just lands over the extra cover fielder, and the batters get a couple.

17.4: Hassnain Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, Slower one, full and outside off, Mohammad Nawaz squeezes it towards point where the fielder misfields and allows a run.

17.3: Hassnain Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, FOUR! Mohammad Nawaz is on a roll here! Fuller in length and on off, Nawaz moves across early and cheekily scoops it past the keeper and to the fine leg fence for another boundary.

17.2: Hassnain Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, FOUR! Powered away! Back of a length and around off, Mohammad Nawaz charges down the track, extends his arms and bludgeons it through covers for a boundary.

17.1: Hassnain Shah to Mohammad Nawaz, Good length and around leg, skids through, Mohammad Nawaz fails to flick it away and gets hit on the pads as the ball goes nowhere.

16.6: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Nawaz, Off pace, on a length and on off, Mohammad Nawaz pats it to the off side for one.

16.5: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Nawaz, FOUR! Gets off the mark in style! Hits the length hard and outside off, pace on this time. Mohammad Nawaz uses the pace and just guides it away through point for a lovely boundary.

Mohammad Nawaz walks in next to bat.

16.4: Shah Faisal to Hasan Nawaz, OUT! TAKEN! Shah Faisal gets his second! Change of ball and Oman have picked up a wicket right away with it. Faisal rolls his fingers and takes all the pace off, fuller and just outside off. Hasan Nawaz extends his arm and tries to carve it away, but fails to get the connection right. He also hits it towards the larger side as the ball flies in and straight to deep point. Hassnain Shah did not have to move an inch and reverse cups it safely. Pakistan lose half their side now!

Change of ball. Oman aren't happy with the condition of the ball and they have requested the on-field umpires to change it. The fourth umpire it down with a box, which contains a couple of balls and the on-field umpires select one to continue further.

16.3: Shah Faisal to Fakhar Zaman, Another full toss, on middle, Fakhar Zaman lifts it with a straight bat but towards long on for just one.

16.2: Shah Faisal to Hasan Nawaz, Change of pace, back of a length and on off, Hasan Nawaz steers it towards backward point for a single.

16.1: Shah Faisal to Hasan Nawaz, Low full toss, on middle and off, Hasan Nawaz tucks it away towards deep mid-wicket for a brace.

Shah Faisal (2-0-17-1) comes back into the attack now.

15.6: Shakeel Ahmed to Hasan Nawaz, Full and outside off, driven down the ground to long off for one more. Pakistan are 116/4 after 16 overs.

15.5: Shakeel Ahmed to Hasan Nawaz, Shorter and quicker, around off, Hasan Nawaz presses back and looks to slog it but gets an inside edge onto his back thigh pads. The ball rolls away towards cover point.

15.4: Shakeel Ahmed to Fakhar Zaman, A yorker, outside off, Zaman drills it down to long off for one.

15.3: Shakeel Ahmed to Hasan Nawaz, Full and sliding on the pads, tucked away through mid-wicket for one.

15.2: Shakeel Ahmed to Fakhar Zaman, Much fuller and outside off, Zaman uses his feet and looks to drill it but gets yorked. Ends up gettting an outside edge that rolls away towards short third. A single taken.

15.1: Shakeel Ahmed to Hasan Nawaz, Lands it full and outside off, Nawaz gets down on his knees and drills it towards extra cover where the fielder fumbles and concedes a single.

14.6: Aamir Kaleem to Hasan Nawaz, Full and outside off, driven through covers for one more.

14.5: Aamir Kaleem to Hasan Nawaz, Quicker, full and around middle, Hasan presses back and drops it down to cover point.

14.4: Aamir Kaleem to Fakhar Zaman, Slower and fuller, around middle, FZ flicks it to deep square leg for one.

14.3: Aamir Kaleem to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR! MUSCLED! Full and around middle, Fakhar Zaman uses his feet, gets to the pitch of the ball and smokes it over the bowler's head for a much-needed boundary.

14.2: Aamir Kaleem to Fakhar Zaman, Very full, around off, Zaman uses his feet but gets cramped and just pushes it back to the bowler.

14.1: Aamir Kaleem to Hasan Nawaz, No hat trick for Aamir Kaleem. Full and around off, Nawaz nudges it away to mid-wicket for a single.

13.6: Shakeel Ahmed to Hasan Nawaz, Quicker, full and around off, Nawaz gets down on his one knee and drives it through covers for one.

13.5: Shakeel Ahmed to Hasan Nawaz, Full and around off, Nawaz punches it to cover off the front foot.

13.4: Shakeel Ahmed to Hasan Nawaz, Full and outside off, driven towards extra cover off the front foot.

13.3: Shakeel Ahmed to Hasan Nawaz, Shakeel follows the batter and fires in full, around off, Nawarz looks to heave it at first but then just adjusts his shot and drills it back to the bowler.

13.2: Shakeel Ahmed to Hasan Nawaz, Full and around off, Hasan uses his feet and pushes it towards mid off.

13.1: Shakeel Ahmed to Fakhar Zaman, Short and around middle and off, turned away through mid-wicket for one.

Hasan Nawaz walks out to bat now.

12.6: Aamir Kaleem to Salman Agha, OUT! CAUGHT! GONE! Oman are right back in the match with these three quick strikes, and the skipper of Pakistan goes for a golden duck. A freebie, full toss, around middle, and Salman Agha could have hit it anywhere on the field. But he chose to swipe it across and ended up mistiming it off the outer half of the bat. The ball flies towards deep mid-wicket, where Hammad Mirza pouches it around his chest. Aamir Kaleem will be on a hat-trick in his next over while Pakistan have slipped from 89/1 to 102/4.

Salman Agha is the next man in.

12.5: Aamir Kaleem to Mohammad Haris, OUT! DRAGGED ON! Another big wicket for Oman, and the set batter Mohammad Haris walks back after an impressive inning of 66(43). Aamir Kaleem bowls it fuller and down leg after seeing the batter switching the stance. Haris changes his stance and grip to reverse sweep it, but gets cramped. Gets into an awkward position and only manages to get an inside edge. The ball rolls back and hits the middle stump after clipping his back pad. Pakistan are 102/3.

12.4: Aamir Kaleem to Fakhar Zaman, A low full toss, outside off, Zaman drives it off the toe end of the bat to long off for a single.

12.3: Aamir Kaleem to Mohammad Haris, Full and outside off, drilled down to wide long off for a single.

12.2: Aamir Kaleem to Fakhar Zaman, 100 comes up for Pakistan. Slower, fuller and around off, Zaman lunges and flicks it to wide long on for a single.

12.1: Aamir Kaleem to Mohammad Haris, Full and outside off, Haris pushes it through extra cover and takes a single.

11.6: Hassnain Shah to Mohammad Haris, Short and around off, Mohammad Haris cuts in the air but on the bounce to sweeper covers for one more.

11.5: Hassnain Shah to Fakhar Zaman, Slower one, full and outside off, Fakhar Zaman reaches out and carves it to sweeper covers for one.

11.4: Hassnain Shah to Mohammad Haris, Hard length and on middle, Mohammad Haris heaves it with the inner half of his bat towards square leg where a fumble allows a run.

11.3: Hassnain Shah to Mohammad Haris, FOUR! Nicely done! Fuller one and on middle, Mohammad Haris goes down across early and swipes it past short fine for a boundary.

11.2: Hassnain Shah to Fakhar Zaman, On a length and on off, Fakhar Zaman pats it towards point for a run.

11.1: Hassnain Shah to Mohammad Haris, Back of a length and on middle, skids through and angles in, Mohammad Haris gets hurried as the ball goes off his inside edge. edge onto his pads and rolls away towards point. A leg bye taken.

10.6: Aamir Kaleem to Sahibzada Farhan, OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! GONE! Aamir Kaleem has his man, and Sahibzada Farhan walks back after a sluggish inning of 29(28). Aamir bowls it flatter, fuller and outside off. Farhan backs away, and he has to reach out with his extended arms. Only manages to drill it off the toe end of the bat straight back to the bowler. The ball travels low, where Aamir Kaleem gets down and manages to hold onto that one. A big and timely wicket for Oman, while Pakistan are two down for 89. Also, Fakhar Zaman walks in next to bat.

The wicket is starting to get better for batting now.

Pakistan have set up a nice platform, and if they do not get something near 180 or above, they will be disappointed.

10.5: Aamir Kaleem to Mohammad Haris, Full and outside off, Haris shuffles across and looks to slice it but ends up chopping it off the inside half of the bat. The ball rolls past the off stump behind to the keeper.

10.4: Aamir Kaleem to Sahibzada Farhan, Fires in full and around leg, Farhan backs away and looks to slog but adjusts his shot and drills it to long off for one.

10.3: Aamir Kaleem to Mohammad Haris, Nagging length and around off, pushes away towards mid off for a single.

10.2: Aamir Kaleem to Sahibzada Farhan, Much shorter and around off, slapped to long off for one more.

10.1: Aamir Kaleem to Mohammad Haris, Short and outside off, Haris backs away and punches it to long off for one.

DRINKS! Pakistan has performed admirably after losing Saim Ayub on just the second ball of the innings. Since then, both Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Haris have developed a promising partnership, with both players doing well. Haris has scored a half-century and looks set for a big score. Meanwhile, Farhan has played a crucial supporting role, mainly rotating the strike and hitting boundaries from time to time. On the other hand, Oman has struggled to make an impact, despite a dropped catch. Their bowlers have failed to maintain pressure by consistently delivering accurate lines and lengths. While their ground fielding has been superb and has saved some runs, they urgently need to take wickets to find a way back into the match. Let’s see how the next phase unfolds.

9.6: Sufyan Mehmood to Sahibzada Farhan, Back of a length and around off, Sahibzada Farhan punches it to extra covers.

9.5: Sufyan Mehmood to Sahibzada Farhan, Much fuller and on off, Sahibzada Farhan bunts it back to the bowler.

9.4: Sufyan Mehmood to Mohammad Haris, On a length and on off, Mohammad Haris guides it to point fora run.

9.3: Sufyan Mehmood to Mohammad Haris, FOUR! Gets it away! Hard length and on middle, pace on this time, Mohammad Haris looks to slog it away again but mistimes it a bit this time. It flies in the air towards the deep mid-wicket region, where Samay Shrivastava runs to his left and dives, but the ball bounces in front of him and goes away for a boundary.

9.2: Sufyan Mehmood to Mohammad Haris, SIX! FIFTY FOR HARIS! He gets to it with a bang as well! The move to send him at number 3 has worked well for Pakistan, and this is probably his best position. A slower one, back of a length and on middle, Mohammad Haris picks it up early. He waits for it and whacks it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie. Haris celebrates it with a bow in the direction of the Pakistan hut.

9.1: Sufyan Mehmood to Sahibzada Farhan, Fuller in length and on off, Sahibzada Farhan drives it to long off for a single.

Change. Sufiyan Muqeem comes into the attack.

8.6: Hassnain Shah to Sahibzada Farhan, Pulls his length back a bit, on middle, Sahibzada Farhan pats it down to long on for one more. Much better over for Oman!

8.5: Hassnain Shah to Sahibzada Farhan, Continues with the fuller length, on middle and leg, Sahibzada Farhan drills it to the left of long on and comes back for the second. Good running!

8.4: Hassnain Shah to Mohammad Haris, Full again and on middle and off, Mohammad Haris just chips it towards long off for another run.

8.3: Hassnain Shah to Sahibzada Farhan, Pitched up and on leg, Sahibzada Farhan clips it through mid-wicket for a single.

8.2: Hassnain Shah to Sahibzada Farhan, Fuller and on middle, angling in, Sahibzada Farhan works it away wide of long on and calls for two straightaway. They get it comfortably in the end.

8.1: Hassnain Shah to Sahibzada Farhan, Nails the yorker right away, on middle, Sahibzada Farhan digs it back to the bowler.

Another change. Hassnain Shah comes into the attack. 

7.6: Samay Shrivastava to Mohammad Haris, FOUR! Put away nicely! Flatter, full and around middle, Mohammad Haris goes down across to get inside the line of it and swipes it over the leaping short fine fielder for four more runs. 12 runs come off Samay Shrivastava's first over.

7.5: Samay Shrivastava to Sahibzada Farhan, Flighted, full and on off, Sahibzada Farhan eases it to long off for one.

7.4: Samay Shrivastava to Mohammad Haris, Goes a bit short and on middle, Mohammad Haris stays back and nudges it through square leg for a single.

7.3: Samay Shrivastava to Mohammad Haris, Good comeback from the bowler! He bowls this slower through the air, full and on off, and turns away. Mohammad Haris gets drawn forward as he tries to push at it, but gets beaten on the outside edge.

7.2: Samay Shrivastava to Mohammad Haris, SIX! Into the crowd! Tossed up, full and on off, Mohammad Haris goes down and executes the slog sweep from the middle of the bat. He hits it against the spin but the ball sails over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie.

7.1: Samay Shrivastava to Mohammad Haris, Floated, shortish and around off, Mohammad Haris opens the face of his bat and steers it to point.

Change. Samay Shrivastava is introduced into the attack.

6.6: Mohammad Nadeem to Sahibzada Farhan, Play and a miss! Short of a length and well outside off, shapes further away, Sahibzada Farhan throws his bat at it but fails to connect.

6.5: Mohammad Nadeem to Sahibzada Farhan, Superb effort in the deep! Nadeem pitches it up and around off, Sahibzada Farhan drills it hard and through covers as the ball races away. Samay Shrivastava covers a lot of ground to his right from deep point. He puts in a full-length dive, extends his right arm and just about pushes the ball back inside in time. Saves two runs for his team. Also, the 50-RUN STAND comes up between the batters.

6.4: Mohammad Nadeem to Mohammad Haris, On a length and on off, Mohammad Haris pushes it towards covers for a single.

6.3: Mohammad Nadeem to Mohammad Haris, Goes fuller and on middle, Mohammad Haris uses his feet but knocks it straight back to the bowler.

6.2: Mohammad Nadeem to Mohammad Haris, FOUR! Stand and deliver! Short of a length and on off, Mohammad Haris just stands there in his crease, picks it up and whips it away to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary. 50 up for Pakistan!

6.1: Mohammad Nadeem to Mohammad Haris, Back of a length and on off, Mohammad Haris heaves it off the inside half of the bat wide of mid-wicket. Farhan wants the run and there is a fumble from the fielder too, but Haris sends his partner back.

5.6: Aamir Kaleem to Mohammad Haris, Slows it up, full and on off, Mohammad Haris taps it towards covers for a quick run. 16 runs off the over, and Pakistan are 47/1 at the end of the Powerplay.

5.5: Aamir Kaleem to Mohammad Haris, FOUR! Up and over! A low full toss, on off, begging to be put away, Mohammad Haris stretches out a bit and smacks it over extra covers for another boundary.

5.4: Aamir Kaleem to Mohammad Haris, SIX! BANG! First of the game! Looped up delivery, full and just on off, Mohammad Haris goes down, brings his wrists into play. He drags his slog sweep and nails it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie.

5.3: Aamir Kaleem to Sahibzada Farhan, Flighted, full and on off, Sahibzada Farhan drives it wide of long off for a single.

5.2: Aamir Kaleem to Sahibzada Farhan, FOUR! Nice shot! Tossed up, full and on middle, Sahibzada Farhan goes down on one knee, uses his bottom hand and lifts it over the bowler and to the long off fence for a boundary after 15 balls.

5.1: Aamir Kaleem to Sahibzada Farhan, Floated, short and around leg, Sahibzada Farhan backs away and punches it hard but finds extra covers.

4.6: Mohammad Nadeem to Sahibzada Farhan, Hard length and outside off, Farhan rises with the bounce and punches it through covers for one.

4.5: Mohammad Nadeem to Mohammad Haris, Another slower delivery, on a length and around off, Mohammad Haris gets down, shuffles across and looks to ramp it over short fine at first but adjusts his shot in the end after seeing the change of pace on the delivery. Manages to turn it towards mid-wicket in the gap for a single.

4.4: Mohammad Nadeem to Mohammad Haris, Brilliant bowling! Change of pace from Nadeem, full and just outside off, curves away from the batter. Mohammad Haris backs away and looks for a big shot downtown but gets deceived by the lack of pace on it. The ball zips past the off stump.

4.3: Mohammad Nadeem to Sahibzada Farhan, Lands it full and outside off, Farhan pushes it towards mid off and sneaks a single.

4.2: Mohammad Nadeem to Mohammad Haris, Follows the batter, full and down leg, Haris backs away and gets cramped. Manages to drill it off the inside half of the bat to long on. They cross.

4.1: Mohammad Nadeem to Mohammad Haris, Big shout for LBW, but the umpire turns it down. The bowler looks convinced, and there is a discussion between the bowler, the keeper, and the skipper before they go upstairs. On a length, angling in, and around middle and leg. Mohammad Haris plants his front leg across and forward a bit to slog it across the line. He misses his shot and the ball sneaks past the inside edge of the bat before rapping him high on the thigh pads. The third umpire is called in, and there is nothing on the UltraEdge. Ball Tracking presents that it would have missed the leg stump. The on-field call stays and Oman lose a review.

3.6: Shakeel Ahmed to Sahibzada Farhan, Short and outside off, Farhan backs away and punches it to the right of mid off for a couple of more runs. The long on fielder mops it up to his left.

3.5: Shakeel Ahmed to Mohammad Haris, Quicker, full and down leg, follows the batter, Mohammad Haris makes room and looks to slog it but mistimes it off the inner half of the bat. Luckily for him, the ball goes in the gap towards long on and they take a single.

3.4: Shakeel Ahmed to Sahibzada Farhan, Uppish but safe! Shorter in length and around off, Sahibzada Farhan backs away and slashes at it. Gets it off the outer half of the bat over extra covers as the long off fielder mops it up. Three taken.

3.3: Shakeel Ahmed to Mohammad Haris, Floated, full and on off, Mohammad Haris drives it to wide of mid off for a run.

3.2: Shakeel Ahmed to Mohammad Haris, Shakeel Ahmed sees the batter advance and drags his length back, outside off, Mohammad Haris uses his feet and punches it hard but straight to extra covers.

3.1: Shakeel Ahmed to Sahibzada Farhan, Fires this one full and angling in, Sahibzada Farhan backs away and forces it to long on for a single.

2.6: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, Hard length and on the top of the off stump, Haris taps it down to backward point off the back foot.

2.5: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, Sliding on the pads, Haris looks to heave away but gets it off the inside half of the bat. The ball goes to the left of deep square leg and both batters push each other to take two runs.

2.4: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, FOUR! GOOD SHOT! Correct use of the Powerplay and field restrictions! Hard length and outside off, Mohammad Haris presses back, gets on top of the bounce and slaps it over wide mid off for a boundary. Though it was hit off the upper half of the bat, Haris got enough power to clear the infield.

2.3: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, Swing and a miss! Back of a length and outside off, Mohammad Haris slashes but connects with thin air only.

2.2: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, On a nagging length and around off, dropped down back to the bowler off the front foot.

2.1: Shah Faisal to Sahibzada Farhan, On a good length and around off, pushed down towards mid off for a quick single.

1.6: Shakeel Ahmed to Sahibzada Farhan, DROPPED! Aamir Kaleem is the culprit and the bowler can't believe it. A short ball, outside off, Sahibzada Farhan shuffles across again and throws his hands at it to cut it. But ends up slicing it off the outer half of the bat towards extra cover. Aamir moves to his left and extends both his arms but can't hold onto that one. The ball spills out and rolls away beside him. A single taken and Shakeel Ahmed is livid with the effort of the fielder.

1.5: Shakeel Ahmed to Sahibzada Farhan, On the shorter side and outside off, Farhan punches it again but straight to extra cover. He wants to have a quick single but is sent back by his partner. A good call as the fielder has the ball in his hands.

1.4: Shakeel Ahmed to Sahibzada Farhan, Nagging length and outside off, Farhan shuffles across and punches it to extra cover.

1.3: Shakeel Ahmed to Sahibzada Farhan, Darts in full and on the pads, flicked it to mid-wicket.

1.2: Shakeel Ahmed to Mohammad Haris, Sliding on the pads, whipped away off the inside half of the bat to deep square leg for a single.

1.1: Shakeel Ahmed to Mohammad Haris, Short and well outside off, Haris looks to cut it but ends up chopping it off the under edge of the bat. The ball bounces beside the off stump and goes over the keeper. It rolls away beside the short third fielder who cuts it off to his left.

Time for spin already as Shakeel Ahmed will share the attack.

0.6: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, Uppish but safe! Full and outside off, Haris drives it on the up without any footwork and the ball travels aerially towards mid off but falls down before the fielder who collects it on the bounce. A single taken. Nonetheless, a successful first over for Oman.

0.5: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, FOUR! A good effort in the field but it goes in vain! Faisal bowls it full but on the pads, Mohammad Haris leans onto the delivery and uses his wrists to whip it across towards deep backward square leg. The deep fine leg fielder runs across to his left and even puts in a dive but fails to stop the ball from going over the ropes.

0.4: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, A repeat of the last ball! Hard length, outside off, moving away from the batter. Mohammad Haris looks to cut it but gets beaten on the outside edge again.

0.3: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, BEATEN! Back of a length and angling away fromt the batter, outside off, Haris throws his hands at it and looks to punch it but gets beaten on the outside edge.

0.3: Shah Faisal to Mohammad Haris, WIDE! Another hard length delivery goes outside the tramline on the off side. Called a wide.

Surprisingly, it is not Fakhar Zaman but Mohammad Haris who walks out to bat at number 3.

0.2: Shah Faisal to Saim Ayub, OUT! LBW! TRAPPED IN FRONT! However, Saim Ayub has reviewed it after a chat with his partner. There could be an inside edge, but if not, it looks plumb. Faisal bowls it fuller, around middle, threatens to angle in, but holds its line. Saim Ayub gets across, plants his front leg forward a touch, crouches and looks to pick it up to smash it over the mid-wicket fielder. But the ball stays a bit lower than he would have expected it to be. He misses his shot, and the ball sneaks past the toe end of the bat before rapping low on the front pad. A big appeal for LBW goes up from the bowler and the keeper, and the umpire raises his finger. The third umpire is called in, and there is nothing on the UltraEdge. Ball Tracking comes up with three reds. Saim Ayub walks back for a golden duck, and Pakistan are 4/1. An early breakthrough for Oman and their players are all smiles, celebrating the wicket.

0.2: Shah Faisal to Sahibzada Farhan, WIDE! Back of a length and wide outside the tramline on the off side. Farhan lets it go but the keeper moves to his right and fails to collect it. The ball parries away towards deep third and the batters sneak a bye. Called a wide as well.

0.1: Shah Faisal to Sahibzada Farhan, Pakistan and Sahibzada Farhan are underway straightaway! On a length, shaping away, wide outside off. Farhan extends his arms to reach out and carves it to beat the diving backward point fielder to his right for a couple of runs to get off the mark.

Done with the pre-match formalities! It is now time for the remaining two sides in Group A to start their Asia Cup campaign. We can see the Oman players in a huddle before they spread out to take up their respective field positions. Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan are the two openers for Pakistan. Faisal Shah has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...

We are moments away from the start, but before that, the match officials and the players from both sides line up for the national anthems. It will be Oman's first, followed by the national anthem of Pakistan.

PITCH REPORT - Bazid Khan is pitchside for his insights. He points out that this is the same pitch used for the India-UAE game. Mentions that the surface looks harder and a bit drier, but there’s still some bounce on offer. Explains that seamers will need to bend their backs if they want to make the bouncer a real weapon, as it could be the most effective delivery here. Notes that early on, the quicks should get some movement off the surface, but as the ball gets older, the bounce will be the key factor. 

Oman (Playing XI) - Jatinder Singh (C), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla (WK), Hassnain Shah, Mohammad Nadeem, Faisal Shah, Zikriya Islam, Sufyan Mehmood, Shakeel Ahmed, and Samay Shrivastava.

Pakistan (Playing XI) - Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris (WK), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (C), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Abrar Ahmed.

Jatinder Singh, the captain of Oman, says they would have batted first as well. Adds that it is a historic moment for them to play here in the Asia Cup against an Asian giant like Pakistan, as it is like playing in the World Cup. Mentions that they did have a challenging period six months before, but the boys have shown that they are really hungry and up for it. Says that they have a couple of debutants, and reckons he, Mohammad Nadeem, and Aamir Kaleem are the senior-most players in the side.

The skipper of Pakistan, Salman Agha, says that they will bat first. Feels that the surface looks good, and the plan is to put runs on the board and apply scoreboard pressure. Mentions that the team has been playing good cricket over the last 2-3 months, with the group really coming together, and they want to carry that momentum forward. Adds that he is confident in the balance of the side, as he points out that they have three proper spinners, two pacers, and plenty of all-rounders. Ends by saying that the focus is on setting an above-par total and sticking to their intent of playing aggressive cricket.

TOSS - Pakistan have won the toss and elected to BAT first.