Five-star Shah inspires UAE victory as Oman left to rue batting collapse

AWAIS ALI SHAH produced a superb five-wicket haul before helping finish the job with the bat as the United Arab Emirates claimed a hard-fought four-wicket victory over Oman in a tense encounter.

Shah's outstanding figures of five for 33 restricted Oman to 196, despite a battling 88 from Jatinder Singh, before the UAE reached 199 for six with 15 balls to spare.

It was a frustrating defeat for Oman, who had appeared capable of posting a considerably more challenging total before their innings unravelled. They were struggling at 57 for three when Jatinder and Aryan Bisht joined forces to repair the damage. The pair added 93 for the fourth wicket, with Jatinder striking 13 boundaries in his patient 107-ball innings, while Bisht contributed 38.

However, Shah turned the contest on its head, removing Bisht, skipper Vinayak Shukla and Jatinder before returning to polish off the lower order. Muhammad Shahdad chipped in with two wickets as Oman were dismissed in the 46th over.

The UAE reply was far from straightforward, despite Aryansh Sharma laying the foundations with an impressive 49 from 61 deliveries. He shared a second-wicket partnership of 69 with Muhammad Shahdad (21), but Samay Shrivastava's three-wicket haul ensured Oman remained firmly in contention.

When UAE skipper Rahul Chopra departed for 34, the chase was delicately balanced at 135 for five. However, Muhammad Waseem seized the initiative with a crucial 43 from just 35 balls, striking three fours and a six to swing the momentum back towards the Emirates.

His dismissal at 190 briefly revived Oman's hopes, but Shah completed an excellent all-round performance with an unbeaten 21. Shrivastava finished with impressive figures of three for 27, while Shakeel Ahmed conceded just 17 from ten overs.

Ultimately, though, Shah's five-wicket heroics proved the difference.

Summary Score:

Oman 196 (45.1 overs; Jatinder Singh 88, Aryan Bisht 38, Awais Ali Shah 5-33) lost to UAE 199/6 (47.3 overs; Aryansh Sharma 49, Muhammad Waseem 43, Samay Shrivastava 3-27) by four wickets.