Muscat: Hosts Oman slumped to their second loss as Pakistan A beat them by 74 runs in their Group B encounter of the ACC Men's Emerging Teams Asia Cup on Monday. Deciding to bat first, Pakistan Shaheens posted a challenging total of 185-5 in their 20 overs.
Oman, who lost against the UAE in their opening match on Saturday, could only manage 111-7 in their 20 overs against a disciplined bowling attack of Pakistan A. The win earned the first points for Pakistan A, who had lost to India A by 7 runs in their opening match.
Pakistan A were dealt a double blow by young Oman medium pace bowler Muzahir Raza, who sent back Mohammad Haris (3) and Yasir Khan (3) in the third over of the match, leaving the score at 13-2.
Omair Yousuf and Qasim Akram added 50 runs from 28 balls as Pakistan raced to 79-2 in 10 overs, gathering momentum. Qasim Akram made a steady 48 off 38 balls before being bowled by spinner Samay Shrivastava. Akram hit two fours and three sixes. Yousuf made 25 from 21 balls before being caught and bowled by Oman medium pacer Sufyan Mahmood.
Rohail Nazir then pushed the scoring with an explosive 41 not out (3x4, 2x6) from 20 balls, and Arafat Minhas' quickfire 31 off 15 helped Pakistan A finish strong.
In reply, Oman made a steady start but lost opener Aamir Kaleem for 11, lbw to Qasim Akram with the score at 28-1 in 5.2 overs. Karan Sonavale (5) followed, and later captain Jatinder Singh (24) was out, leaving Oman at 52-3 in 9.4 overs.
Pakistan A’s bowlers kept a tight grip throughout the innings. Zaman Khan (2-17) led the charge, and disciplined efforts by Shahnawaz Dahani (1-13) and Sufiyan Muqeem (1-15) stifled Oman's chase. Wasim Ali (28) and Hamad Mirza (14) were the only other notable contributions from Oman batters.
Rohail Nazir’s all-round performance, including two catches and a blistering knock, earned him the Player of the Match award as Pakistan A cruised to a comfortable win. Pakistan A’s 74-run victory over Oman is their largest margin of victory in terms of runs in T20s, surpassing their previous 60-run win against NZ A.
AFGHANISTAN A TOP GROUP A In Group A, Afghanistan A registered their second victory to top the group with four points after a four-wicket win over Bangladesh A on Sunday night.
Chasing 165 for victory, Sediqullah Atal smashed 95 off 55 balls with 9 fours and 5 sixes as Afghanistan A reached the target in 19.1 overs.
Bangladesh A posted a competitive 164-4 in their 20 overs. Parvez Hossain Emon made a quick-fire 54 off 32 balls, supported by Towhid Hridoy (42 not out) and Shamim Hossain (38 not out).
Afghanistan’s bowlers, particularly Qais Ahmad (1-26) and Sharafuddin Ashraf (1-9), helped limit Bangladesh A’s scoring in the middle overs.
In reply, Afghanistan A lost three wickets for 52 in 6.3 overs. Opener Atal stood firm to keep the momentum in the chase.
Ripon Mondol (2-26) and Al Islam (2-29) tried to stall Afghanistan’s momentum, but Atal’s brilliance ensured they stayed on course. Shahidullah (19) and Mohammad Ishaq (10) also chipped in as Afghanistan A sealed the win with five balls to spare.
Atal was named Player of the Match for his match-winning innings.
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