Pakistan opened their Asia Cup campaign with a dominant 93-run victory against Oman on 12 September, producing a balanced display with both bat and ball.
After opting to bat first, captain Salman Agha’s side posted 160 for 7, anchored by Mohammad Haris’s fluent half-century. Oman were then bundled out for 67 in just 16.4 overs, collapsing under sustained pressure from Pakistan’s attack.
Pakistan’s start was shaky when opener Saim Ayub fell for a duck in the opening over. Haris and Sahibzada Farhan rebuilt with an 85-run partnership for the second wicket, stabilising the innings after the early setback.
Farhan departed for 29 off 29 balls, and soon after Haris was dismissed for 66 from 43 deliveries, a knock that included a mix of controlled stroke-play and attacking shots. Captain Salman Agha fell the very next ball, but Mohammad Nawaz added a brisk 19 from 10 to keep the momentum going. Fakhar Zaman finished unbeaten on 23 from 16 as wickets tumbled at the other end.
For Oman, Faisal Shah and Amir Kaleem each claimed three wickets, while Mohammad Nadeem chipped in with one.
Chasing 161, Oman’s reply unravelled almost immediately. Saim struck twice in his opening overs, bowling Jatinder Singh for 1 and trapping Kaleem lbw for 13. Though they reached 40 for 2 in the powerplay, a dramatic collapse followed.
Nine wickets fell for just 11 runs as Pakistan’s bowlers took full control. Sufiyan Muqeem accounted for Mohammad Nadeem (3) and Hammad Mirza, Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf shared the middle-order scalps, while Shaheen Shah Afridi chipped in with a wicket and a run-out.
Hammad top-scored for Oman with 27, while Shakil Ahmed added 10, but no other batter reached double figures.
