Alishan Sharafu and captain Muhammad Waseem struck half-centuries to power the United Arab Emirates to their first win of the 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup, defeating Oman by 42 runs in Abu Dhabi. The result kept UAE’s campaign alive and simultaneously confirmed India’s place in the Super 4s as the first qualifier from Group A.
Put into bat, UAE made the most of the powerplay with an 88-run opening stand. Sharafu blazed to 51 off 37 balls, while Waseem anchored with 69 off 54, a knock that also carried him past 3,000 T20I runs – the fourth-fastest to do so after Virat Kohli, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Cameos from Mohammad Zuhaib and Harshit Kaushik lifted UAE to 172/5.
It was quite fun, and it was an important game for us, so it was crucial to bring our best today. The plan was to accelerate in the powerplay and have at least one of us bat as deep as possible. I’m glad everything worked out.
Oman’s chase never took off. Junaid Siddique’s fiery spell of 4-23 ripped through the top order as Oman slumped to 32/4. Haider Ali (2-22) and Muhammad Jawadullah (2-18) closed out the win, bowling Oman out for 130.
We wanted to show our calibre and the way we want to play, and we did that. It’s a very proud moment for me, especially marking the milestone of 3,000 runs. We talked in the meeting, prepared three days before, and executed our plans.
The win sets up a do-or-die clash between UAE and Pakistan on Wednesday for the second Super 4 spot from Group A. Oman, with two defeats, bowed out of the tournament.
Brief Scores: UAE 172/5 in 20 overs (Waseem 69, Sharafu 51; Ramanandi 2-24) beat Oman 130 all out in 18.4 overs (Bisht 24; Siddique 4-23, Jawadullah 2-18) by 42 runs.
Nissanka and Hasaranga Save Sri Lanka from Hong Kong Upset
In Dubai, Pathum Nissanka’s sparkling 68 and Wanindu Hasaranga’s nerveless late cameo guided Sri Lanka to a tense four-wicket win over Hong Kong in Group B.
Chasing 150, Sri Lanka looked comfortable before a middle-order collapse turned the contest into the tournament’s first real thriller. From cruising at 118/2, the Lankans lost four quick wickets as Hong Kong’s bowlers and fielders created openings – only to see six catches go down and a costly no-ball from captain Yasim Murtaza undo their hard work.
They bowled well and put us under pressure. It wasn’t easy out there. I just tried to stay calm and play my shots. I’m glad I could give us a start.
When Nissanka was run out, it was Hasaranga who stepped up. He smashed a six and a four off Murtaza’s 18th over, then sealed the chase with consecutive boundaries off Ateeq Iqbal to finish unbeaten on 20 from nine balls.
For Hong Kong, captain Nizakat Khan’s 52 not out anchored their 149/4 and, along with Anshuman Rath (48), gave them hope of a famous upset. But missed opportunities haunted them.
We had them under pressure, but we let it slip. In these tournaments, you can’t afford mistakes. We will learn from this.
Brief Scores: Hong Kong 149/4 in 20 overs (Nizakat Khan 52*, Rath 48; Chameera 2-29) lost to Sri Lanka 153/6 in 18.5 overs (Nissanka 68, Hasaranga 20*; Murtaza 2-37) by four wickets.
What It Means
With India already qualified from Group A, Pakistan’s clash with UAE will decide the second slot. In Group B, Sri Lanka’s escape act keeps them on course, while Hong Kong exit the tournament with only regrets over dropped catches and missed chances.
