Gosh, where do I even start with this match? It was, like, a total rollercoaster! I mean, who would've thought Oman, bless their hearts, would put up a fight like that with the ball? It was the first match for both teams in the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai, and boy, did it have some moments.
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| (Photo Credit: AFP) Haris Heroics Pave Way for Dominant Pakistan Win in Asia Cup 2025 |
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So, first things first, Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat. You'd think, "Okay, easy 200+ runs for Pakistan, right?" Wrong! Their innings was... well, let's just say it had its ups and downs. Star opener Saim Ayub, who I totally thought was going to smash a ton, went for a golden duck. A golden duck! Can you believe it? And then, their skipper, Salman Ali Agha, also got a duck. Talk about a shaky start!
But then, out came Mohammad Haris, and he was on fire. He made a fantastic half-century, hitting some big shots and really getting the scoreboard moving. He was helped by Sahibzada Farhan, who wasn't exactly scoring at a blistering pace, but he was holding his end, which was super important. They put on a big partnership, like 85 runs or something like that. I forget the exact number, but it was a lot.
Just when it seemed like Pakistan was cruising to a massive total, Oman's bowlers, especially their spinners, decided to show up. Aamir Kaleem and Shah Faisal were just brilliant. They kept picking up wickets and totally stalled Pakistan's momentum. I mean, at one point, Pakistan was looking at maybe 180 or even 190, but they ended up with a respectable, but not huge, 160/7. It was a really good effort by Oman to pull things back.
Now, for the chase. Oman had a target of 161, which seemed doable on the Dubai pitch. But then, Pakistan's bowlers, who I thought might be a bit tired after the batting collapse, came out guns blazing. And guess who got the first wicket? The guy who got a golden duck himself, Saim Ayub! He got the Oman captain, Jatinder Singh, out, which was, like, such a good comeback story.
After that, it was a total meltdown for Oman. They just couldn't handle Pakistan's bowling attack. The spin trio of Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Faheem Ashraf (he's a pacer, but hey, he got wickets with them so he counts, right?) were just too much for them. Oman went from a decent start to losing wickets left, right, and center. There was a direct hit run-out by Shaheen Afridi that was just brilliant. It felt like the wheels just came off for them.
In the end, Oman was bowled out for a tiny little score of just 67 in under 17 overs. It was a proper thrashing. Pakistan won by a massive 93 runs! Mohammad Haris was named Man of the Match for his fantastic batting performance, which was totally deserved. So, yeah, it was a dominant win for Pakistan in the end, but for a while there, it looked like Oman might just pull off a massive upset. But alas, it was not to be. It was a good match, though.
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