Oman captain Jatinder Singh won the toss in Dubai and, without hesitation, chose to bowl first against the United Arab Emirates, both sides still searching for their opening points of the 2025 Asia Cup.
“Early on there’s usually a nibble for the seamers, so we’d like to make use of it,” Jatinder told the host broadcaster. The skipper has refreshed his XI after the defeat to Pakistan, bringing in all-rounders Wasim Ali and Aryan Bisht, plus left-arm seamer Jitenkumar Ramanandi. Out go Mohammad Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood and Zikria Islam.
UAE have made only one switch. Captain Muhammad Waseem confirmed that left-arm quick Muhammad Jawadullah replaces spinner Simranjeet Singh. “We were thinking of bowling first too,” Waseem admitted, “but if we bat well the surface should hold together.”
The match is the tournament’s first double-header, with temperatures forecast to touch 36°C. Fitness and fluid intake are likely to be as important as tactics, an issue former Oman coach Duleep Mendis highlighted on the local radio preview: “The heat here can drain you quickly; managing energy in the field is half the battle.”
Oman’s reshuffle lengthens their batting and gives them three left-arm options with the ball, a set-up assistant coach Avishkar Salvi believes can “keep taking wickets through the middle”. UAE, meanwhile, back their top order of Asif Khan and Alishan Sharafu to post a defendable score before leg-spinner Harshit Kaushik takes over.
Teams
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Muhammad Zohaib, Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Jawadullah, Junaid Siddique.
Oman: Jatinder Singh (c), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Wasim Ali, Hassnain Shah, Shah Faisal, Aryan Bisht, Shakeel Ahmad, Samay Shrivastava, Jitenkumar Ramanandi.
First ball is due at 2 pm local time; a stiff afternoon breeze could offer the new-ball bowlers just enough assistance before the pitch flattens out.
