Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan crush Oman by 93 runs in second-biggest win of the tournament

A margin that large always says something. Pakistan didn’t just win; they sent a message. A 93-run hammering of Oman in Dubai turned their opening night into the second-biggest victory of the tournament so far, a clean, clinical start that lines up perfectly before the match everyone’s been circling: India on September 14.

Salman Agha won the toss, chose to bat, and watched his side piece together a smart, controlled 160 for 7. It wasn’t a slog-fest. It was a plan. And the plan revolved around Mohammad Haris, who embraced a promotion to No. 3 and lit up the evening with 66 off 43—seven fours, three sixes, and a momentum shift Pakistan never let go.

Haris walked in after Saim Ayub nicked off early, steadied the innings with risk measured in singles and twos, then pressed the accelerator. He played the short side smartly, went inside-out to beat the infield, and took on pace and spin without fuss. Sahibzada Farhan’s supportive hand kept the board moving, and the pair’s calm through the middle built the platform Pakistan wanted.

Oman did wrestle back control. Aamir Kaleem’s left-arm spin broke the rhythm with a double strike—Haris and Salman Agha in quick succession—while Shah Faisal’s tight lines at the death were anything but friendly. Between them they took six wickets and turned what briefly looked like a 175-plus finish into a fair, workable 160.

And that’s the context that matters. Dubai can make 160 feel like a mountain if you’re chasing under lights against varied bowling. It did here. Pakistan’s innings was the right kind of scrappy: enough boundaries early, just enough from the lower middle to keep Oman’s surge in check, and no panic when dot balls stacked up. It wasn’t flashy. It was thoughtful.

Pakistan plant the flag early

As soon as the chase began, Oman’s task spiraled. The new ball nipped, the fielding was sharp, and Pakistan’s attack felt bigger than the sum of its parts. Shaheen Afridi didn’t need a five-over spell to make his point; he just needed to set the tone. Faheem Ashraf hit the deck hard. Then came the spinners, and the game shrunk.

Oman were bundled out for 67—only their second-lowest total in T20Is, with the nadir being 47 against England last year. Pakistan didn’t need one bowler to run riot. They split it up. Faheem Ashraf chipped in with two. Sufiyan Muqeem’s left-arm spin took two more. Saim Ayub’s part-time overs did damage as well. Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed joined the act with crucial strikes. It was relentless, and it was tidy. The catching and ground work matched the bowling, which is often where early-tournament favorites separate themselves.

Hammad Mirza tried to stall the slide with 27—gritty, stubborn, and easily the best of Oman’s hits. Aamir Kaleem was the only other batter to get into double figures through the middle, and Shakeel Ahmed’s parting six gave the scoreboard a rare bit of life before he fell for 10. Beyond that, it was a procession. Pakistan varied pace, changed angles, and kept the stumps in play. Oman’s batters struggled with length—too late to get forward, too committed to going back—and were routinely trapped between the turn and the bounce.

If you want the short tactical version, here it is: Pakistan’s seamers started on a hard back-of-a-length, then bled pace off as the ball lost shine. The spinners bowled into the pitch, teased the outside edge with drift, and kept midwicket and long-on busy to deny release shots. Oman couldn’t find the single when they needed it, and when they went looking for the boundary, the risk curve spiked. That was the chase.

Haris took Player of the Match, and no one argued. Not just for the runs, but for how he made them. He didn’t burn the innings down; he built it. In the mixed zone afterward, he kept the message simple: he’ll bat wherever the team needs, and he’s been asked to bring energy and intent, not just muscle. Under a new captain, that’s the kind of clarity squads crave.

There’s a quiet sub-plot here too. Pakistan’s batting order has often felt rigid in big tournaments, sometimes to a fault. This wasn’t that. Promoting Haris to his preferred slot, trusting Farhan as a foil, and accepting a platform rather than a final-over blaze showed a team comfortable with the pitch rather than a pre-set template. That bodes well when India’s bowlers, who rarely let you dictate tempo, enter the frame.

Oman unravel, Pakistan eye India

Oman won’t relish the scoreline, but the day wasn’t devoid of positives. Aamir Kaleem and Shah Faisal bowled with heart, took six wickets between them, and out-thought Pakistan during a key middle-overs window. That’s not a small achievement against a batting unit loaded with hitters. Their fielding stayed alert too, which helped keep the target realistic.

But the batting—especially against spin—needs a reset. Too many hard hands to balls that needed soft wrists. Too many cross-batted swings to balls that demanded straight bats. If Oman are going to settle in this tournament, they must unlock the single. Rotate early, push deep, and take the big shot once the fielders are moved. They’ll feel this one, but it’s fixable.

It’s also a tough time for them off the field. The squad came into the tournament under a cloud of administrative noise and pay disputes. Nights like this make those distractions heavier. The upside: they faced a top-tier attack and saw—up close—the speed of decision-making required at this level. If they channel that lesson, the next outing looks different.

Pakistan, meanwhile, won’t over-celebrate. The margin flatters, sure, but they’ll know there’s polish still to add. The final five overs with the bat didn’t bring the surge they wanted. Oman’s spinners squeezed them, and the sweep options vanished. Against India, those mini-stalls can flip a game. Expect Pakistan to discuss whether a floating finisher—someone with license to swing early—gets a more defined role, and whether the left-right combinations can be engineered more aggressively through the middle.

Selection-wise, the balance looked good in Dubai’s conditions. An extra spinner in Muqeem complemented Nawaz and Abrar, and Faheem’s utility with ball and in the field offered flexibility. If the next surface feels drier under lights, Pakistan could even double down on spin, trusting Shaheen and one other seamer to do the new-ball job before the slower bowlers take over.

There’s also the small matter of the rivalry everyone knows too well. Against India, match-ups matter more than labels. Haris against hard lengths into the body. Farhan versus wrist spin. Salman Agha’s tempo against the middle-overs choke. Pakistan won’t want early wickets to turn into a rebuild that drains their final assault. The antidote is good running, not just power. Dubai rewards that.

On the bowling side, Pakistan will lean into variety again. Short spells, quick changes, different angles at the same batter. Shaheen’s role stays clear: a new-ball strike and early intimidation. After that, the spinners own the clock. If dew drifts in, it could get tricky, so they’ll want the fielders switched on and the seamers ready with grip-heavy slower balls.

The night itself had a healthy buzz. Dubai’s stands carried a sea of green and a fair slice of neutral families who came for a Friday spectacle. Every Haris boundary felt louder than the last, and every Oman wicket tightened the grip. That atmosphere will triple when India walk in. The nerves will, too.

There’s a bigger-picture milestone tucked into this start. Pakistan are chasing their first Asia Cup title in 13 years. A single win doesn’t rewrite the past, but this one was clean, professional, and more importantly, portable— the kind of template that travels to a tougher opponent. They protected a par-plus score, controlled the chase, and spread the wickets. That’s how you build tournament momentum.

Key moments that shaped the game:

• Haris’s promotion to No. 3 pays off: 66 off 43, setting tempo after the early loss of Saim Ayub.
• Aamir Kaleem’s double strike: Pakistan lose Haris and Salman Agha in quick time; total kept to 160.
• Powerplay squeeze in Oman’s chase: early new-ball discipline and no free releases.
• Spin suffocation: Muqeem, Nawaz, and Abrar control the middle as Oman’s shot selection unravels.
• Fielding edge: clean catching, tidy ground work, no easy twos—momentum never slips.

Player watch:

• Mohammad Haris: aggression with brains—a boundary hunter who picked his match-ups rather than swinging blind. His clarity at No. 3 gives Pakistan an identity through the middle.
• Faheem Ashraf: not headline numbers, but impact overs. Hard lengths, no freebies, and calm under pressure.
• Sufiyan Muqeem: left-arm angles that kept Oman guessing. When he’s on, Pakistan’s spin trio has range, not just bulk.
• Hammad Mirza: Oman's resistance in a rough chase. The 27 might look small, but it carried intent and decent game awareness.

What’s next is obvious. The schedule flips to the game that tests not just skill but temperament. Pakistan will want their top three to take the scoreboard beyond safety before India’s middle-overs trap closes. The bowlers, who enjoyed the cushion tonight, may have to create it themselves next time—an early burst, a squeeze, and the same discipline at the ropes.

For Oman, the path is narrower but clear. Lock in a method against spin. Use the sweep sparingly and commit to the late cut when the field offers it. Let the innings breathe with singles so the shot in the slot looks like a choice, not a gamble. Their bowlers earned that chance; now the batters need to cash it.

As opening statements go, this was loud. Pakistan’s 93-run win plants them firmly near the top of Group A and sets up a high-voltage weekend in Dubai. The stakes jump, the spotlight sharpens, and the margin for error shrinks. That’s exactly where they wanted to be heading into the Asia Cup 2025 clash that defines narratives for months.