MUSCAT: Oman booked their place in the semifinals of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2026 despite suffering a 49-run defeat against an unbeaten United Arab Emirates in their final Group B encounter at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval in Bongi, Malaysia, on Tuesday.
Despite the defeat, Sulakshan Kulkarni’s men had done enough in their earlier matches to finish among the top two in Group B, edging through on net run rate (NRR). Oman finished with an NRR of +0.649 after a three-way tie with Qatar (+0.227) and Kuwait (+0.152), with all three teams earning four points each.
UAE, meanwhile, completed a perfect group campaign with four wins from four matches to finish at the top of Group B.
The runner-up finish means Oman will meet Group A winners and fancied Nepal in the semifinals on Thursday, September 10. Nepal topped Group A with six points and an NRR of +1.531, while Hong Kong finished second on six points with a lower NRR of -0.005.
On Tuesday, Oman captain Vinayak Shukla won the toss and elected to field, with his bowlers recovering well after initially struggling against a strong UAE start.
Having restricted UAE to 192, the target appeared within Oman’s reach. But the chase unravelled almost immediately.
Oman lost Karan Sonavale for four in the first over and suffered a dramatic top-order collapse as Jatinder Singh, Mujibur Ali and Jay Odedra all departed cheaply.
Oman were reeling at 13 for four inside 3.1 overs, leaving the middle order with a mountain to climb.
Hammad Mirza attempted to stabilise the innings with a 35-ball 17 before all-rounder Jiten Ramanandi produced the standout batting performance for Oman.
FIGHTING KNOCK
Ramanandi played a fighting knock of 51 from 70 balls, striking six fours and a six, and helped Oman recover from their disastrous start. He found some support from captain and wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla, who scored 14, but Oman were unable to build any substantial partnerships.
When Ramanandi fell at 107 for seven in the 26th over, Oman’s hopes of chasing down the target were effectively extinguished.
Debutant Sanju Sajeev showed promise with an unbeaten 15 from 27 balls, but with little support from the rest, the UAE bowlers wrapped up the innings for 143 in 34.5 overs.
Left-arm spinner Aayan Afzal Khan was the architect of Oman’s collapse, producing a superb all-round performance to claim 5 for 34 after scoring a valuable 37 with the bat. He was named Player of the Match.
Khuzaima Tanveer struck early and returned 3 for 21, while Ibrar Ahmad and Adeeb Usmani took a wicket apiece.
Earlier, UAE openers Tanish Suri and Adeeb Usmani gave their team a solid platform with a 92-run opening-wicket stand. Suri top-scored with 48 off 53 balls, including six fours and two sixes, while Usmani contributed 40 from 65 deliveries.
However, Oman struck regularly after the opening partnership was broken by Nadeem Khan, who removed Suri.
Hassnain Shah then sent back Usmani to leave UAE at 98 for two before Jay Odedra’s spell turned the tables.
Skipper Harpreet Singh, Rahul Chopra and Sohaib Khan fell in quick succession as UAE slipped to 105 for five.
Odedra was particularly effective, returning figures of 3 for 17 from 5.1 overs, while Shah claimed 3 for 48. Shakeel Ahmed also produced a disciplined spell, taking 2 for 29 from his 10 overs.
Mujibur Ali and Nadeem Khan picked up a wicket each as Oman dismissed UAE for 192 in 48.1 overs.
Akshdeep Nath, who scored 33, and Aayan Afzal Khan, with 37, helped rebuild the innings before Oman again struck in the closing stages.
CRUCIAL WINS SECURE LAST 4
While the result belonged emphatically to UAE, the bigger picture offered Oman considerable relief. Their two victories in the group stage, including the massive 131-run win over Singapore, proved crucial in their qualification campaign.
Oman had begun the tournament in commanding fashion by posting 316 for nine against Singapore before bowling them out for 185, a result that gave them a significant boost in the race for the knockout stages.
Their five-wicket victory over Qatar further strengthened their position before the loss to Kuwait on September 5 and Tuesday’s defeat against UAE.
Oman will now have the opportunity to put Tuesday’s setback behind them and focus on the much bigger prize on Thursday, when they battle for a place in the final.
Brief scores: UAE 192 all out in 48.1 overs (Tanish Suri 48, Adeeb Usmani 40, Aayan Afzal Khan 37; Jay Odedra 3-17, Hassnain Shah 3-48, Shakeel Ahmed 2-29) beat Oman 143 all out in 34.5 overs (Jiten Ramanandi 51; Aayan Afzal Khan 5-34, Khuzaima Tanveer 3-21) by 49 runs.
