Clinical Pakistan start campaign with thumping win over Oman

Pakistan opened their Asia Cup campaign on a high with a commanding 93-run triumph over Oman in the Group A clash at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

After Mohammad Haris’ half-century guided Pakistan to 160/7, it was Pakistan’s bowlers who rose to the occasion and sealed a commanding victory to begin their continental tournament campaign.

Chasing 161, Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza were the only batters to offer some resistance to Pakistan’s bowling as they contributed 13 and 27 respectively. Saim Ayub grabbed the first dismissal for Pakistan, removing the Oman skipper Jatinder Singh for 3. In the fourth over, Ayub sent Kaleem back to the pavilion to give a double jolt to the chasing side inside the powerplay. Oman were 40/2 after the end of the powerplay.

However, things turned pretty quickly when Sufiyan Muqeem joined the party and removed Mohammad Nadeem (3) in the seventh over. In the next over, Mohammad Nawaz added to Oman’s woes with the scalp of Sufyan Mehmood (1). Shaheen Shah Afridi’s direct hit sent Vinayak Shukla (2) back to the pavilion after a mix-up between the wickets. In the same over, Mirza’s stay was also cut short by Muqeem, to leave Oman tottering at 49/6.

With no bite left in the batting order, it was a good hunting night for Pakistani bowlers who cleaned up their innings for 67/10 in 16.4 overs.

For Pakistan, Faheem Ashraf, Muqeem and Ayub bagged two wickets each while Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Nawaz got hold of one scalp apiece.

Earlier, spirited bowling efforts from Shah Faisal and Kaleem, who bagged three wickets each, restricted Pakistan to 160/7 in 20 overs. Haris top-scored with a knock of 66 runs while Fakhar Zaman remained unbeaten on 23 to take the side to a fightable total. Haris’ knock was the highlight of Pakistan’s innings, which faced multiple setbacks after opting to bat first.

Opener Ayub departed on the golden duck as he was trapped by Faisal to give an early blow to Pakistan. However, Haris and Sahibzada Farhan stabilised the innings and stitched a vital 84-run partnership for the second wicket. Haris took the calculated risk and freed his arms whenever he got the opportunity.

Haris struck his maiden T20I half-century off 32 balls as Pakistan were 85/1 after 10 overs, adding 38 runs in the four overs after the powerplay.

As things were looking great for Pakistan, Kaleem gave the second breakthrough to his side with the dismissal of Farhan, who departed after scoring a low-key 29, in the 11th over. In his next over, Kaleem got the better of Haris after he played a knock of 66 runs, including three sixes and seven fours.

Kaleem was clever enough to trap Pakistan captain Salman Agha on a flighted full-toss, which he failed to keep down and handed a simple catch to Hammad Mirza.

The double blow overshadowed Haris’ knock as Oman put Pakistan under pressure, with Hasan Nawaz also departing on nine in the 17th over. Faisal bagged Mohammad Nawaz in his next over to quash Pakistan’s hopes of a late onslaught.

In the end, Oman bowlers performed well under pressure to keep it tight for Pakistan despite opting to bat first.

Kaleem and Faisal were the pick of the bowlers for Oman, both clinching three wickets each, while Shakeel Ahmed was the most economical for the gulf nation with the figures of 0-17 in his four overs.

Pakistan now face arch-rivals India in a high-voltage Group A match in Dubai on Sunday.

Bangladesh play Sri Lanka in Group B match in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Kapil Dev backs India to win against Pakistan: Former India captain Kapil Dev has backed the Men in Blue to come out triumphant against archrivals Pakistan in their much-anticipated clash in the Asia Cup on Sunday. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side started their campaign with a stunning nine-wicket win over the UAE on Wednesday and will lock horns with the Men in Green at Dubai International Stadium on the weekend.

“The Indian team will play and win the match; this is what I desire. The way they are playing, they will win,” Kapil Dev told reporters here in an event when asked about the blockbuster Sunday’s clash.

For the first time, India will head into a major multi-nation tournament without the veteran duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from T20Is last year.

Brief Scores: Pakistan 160/7 in 20 overs (Mohammad Haris 66, Sahibzada Farhan 29; Aamir Kaleem 3-31, Shah Faisal 3-34) defeat Oman 67/10 in 16.4 overs (Hammad Mirza 27; Saim Ayub 2-8, Faheem Ashraf 2-6, Sufiyan Muqeem 2-7) by 93 runs.