Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India became the first team to confirm their place in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup from Group A after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) secured their maiden win of the tournament, defeating Oman by 42 runs in Abu Dhabi on September 16. The result not only kept UAE in contention for the next round but also officially eliminated Oman, who slumped to their second successive defeat.
Suryakumar Yadav’s men, who began their campaign with a clinical win over UAE before thrashing Pakistan by seven wickets on Sunday, were virtually assured of progression. But UAE’s triumph ensured India advanced with two wins from two matches in Group A. The remaining slot will now be decided in a virtual knockout between Pakistan and UAE on September 17.
Put into bat, UAE made the most of the powerplay thanks to an 88-run opening stand between skipper Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu. Sharafu was the aggressor early on, charging down the track to disrupt Omani spinners and striking six boundaries inside the field restrictions. He brought up a fluent half-century off 37 balls before being bowled by Jiten Ramanandi for 51. At the other end, Waseem anchored the innings with a patient 69 off 54 balls, a knock that also saw him become the fourth-quickest batter to 3000 T20I runs, joining elite company alongside Virat Kohli, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Though he struggled at times for timing, Waseem cashed in on dropped chances and raised his fifty with a trademark six down the ground.
