Oman finish fourth in Asian Games Qualifier

SPORTS REPORTER
MUSCAT, JUNE 8
Oman’s Asian Games Men’s T20I Qualifier campaign ended with an eight-wicket defeat to Malaysia in the third-place playoff in Singapore on Monday, leaving the young homegrown side to settle for fourth place after an encouraging run to the semifinals.
The defeat was Oman’s third successive loss of the tournament, following a group-stage setback against Hong Kong and a semifinal defeat to Nepal. However, the team achieved its primary objective of securing qualification for the 2026 Asian Games by reaching the last four.
With captain Sufyan Mehmood the only player with previous tournament experience, Oman’s youthful squad exceeded expectations by earning a top-four finish and valuable international exposure against some of Asia’s emerging cricket nations.
After winning the toss, Malaysia elected to field and quickly justified the decision despite a promising start by Oman’s opening pair. Mohammed al Balushi and Shuaib al Balushi shared a 43-run opening stand, with Mohammed top-scoring with 25 off 37 balls, including four boundaries, while Shuaib contributed 19 from 21 deliveries with two sixes and a four.
The innings unravelled after Shuaib’s dismissal in the eighth over. Oman slumped from 43 without loss to 69-8 as the Malaysian bowlers applied relentless pressure. Sufyan Mehmood managed only three runs, while wickets fell regularly through the middle order. Nawed al Balushi’s unbeaten 10 was the only other double-figure score as Oman were eventually bowled out for 90 in 19.2 overs.
Malaysia’s bowling attack shared the honours, with Player of the Match Virandeep Singh taking 3-7, while Vijay Unni (3-17) and Muhammad Amir (3-14) also claimed three wickets each.
Chasing 91, Malaysia lost two early wickets and slipped to 12-2, thanks to strikes from Shuaib al Balushi and Sameer Othman. Any hopes of an Omani comeback were quickly extinguished by captain Syed Aziz and Virandeep Singh.
Aziz blasted an unbeaten 54 from 29 deliveries, including five fours and four sixes, while Virandeep followed his bowling heroics with an unbeaten 29. Their unbroken third-wicket partnership guided Malaysia to 91-2 in just 10 overs, sealing victory with 60 balls to spare.
Despite the disappointing finish, Oman can take encouragement from a campaign that secured Asian Games qualification and provided invaluable experience for a squad making its debut at this level.
The men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, will be held from September 24 to October 3, with Oman joining India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia and Hong Kong in the race for gold.