Asia Cup: Faisal, Kaleem pick three scalps each to restrict Pakistan to 160/7

Dubai, Sep 12 Spirited bowling effort from Shah Faisal and Aamir Kaleem, who bagged three wickets each, helped Oman restrict Pakistan to 160/7 in 20 overs in the Group A encounter of the Asia Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Haris top-scored with a knock of 66 runs while Fakhar Zaman remained unbeaten on 23 to take the side to a fightable total.

Haris' knock was the highlight of Pakistan's innings, which faced multiple setbacks after opting to bat first.

Opener Saim Ayub departed on the golden duck as he was trapped by Shah Faisal to give an early blow to Pakistan. However, Haris and Sahibzada Farhan stabilised the innings and stitched a vital 84-run partnership for the second wicket. Haris took the calculated risk and freed his arms whenever he got the opportunity.

Haris struck his maiden T20I half-century off 32 balls as Pakistan were 85/1 after 10 overs, adding 38 runs in the four overs after the powerplay.

As things were looking great for Pakistan, Aamir Kaleem gave the second breakthrough to his side with the dismissal of Farhan, who departed after scoring a low-key 29, in the 11th over. In his next over, Kaleem got the better of Haris after he played a knock of 66 runs, including three sixes and seven fours.

Kaleem was clever enough to trap Pakistan captain Salman Agha on a flighted full-toss, which he failed to keep down and handed a simple catch to Hammad Mirza. The double blow overshadowed Haris’ knock as Oman put Pakistan under pressure, with Hasan Nawaz also departing on nine in the 17th over. Faisal bagged Mohammad Nawaz in his next over to quash Pakistan’s hopes of a late onslaught.

In the end, Oman bowlers performed well under pressure to keep it tight for Pakistan despite opting to bat first.

Kaleem and Faisal were the pick of the bowlers for Oman, both clinching three wickets each, while Shakeel Ahmed was the most economical for the gulf nation with the figures of 0-17 in his four overs.

Brief Scores: Pakistan 160/7 in 20 overs (Mohammad Haris 66, Sahibzada Farhan 29; Aamir Kaleem 3-31, Shah Faisal 3-34) against Oman.

--IANS

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