The Asia Cup is about to begin, and it will be the for the very first time that a total of eight teams will participate in this tournament, and three of them are from the associate nations – United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and Oman.
Road to Asia Cup:
UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong sealed their places in the Asia Cup 2025 through the 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup, which served as the official qualifying tournament. UAE booked their spot by winning the competition, beating Oman in the final, while Oman qualified as runners-up and will be making their Asia Cup debut this year. Hong Kong grabbed the last available slot by finishing in third place, earning what will be their fifth Asia Cup appearance, though they are still searching for their first win in the tournament.
Squad overview:
UAE:
Squad: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra, Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Saghir Khan.
Placed in group A, the UAE will face Pakistan, India, and Oman. UAE’s strength lies in their opening batter and captain Muhammad Waseem, hitter Asif Ali, and spinner Haider Ali. Junaid Siddique is another bowler to rely on as he became the UAE’s first bowler to ever achieve 100 wickets in the T20 format.
However, the main and visible concern about this squad is their over-reliance on the performing players, as was evident in the recently concluded tri-series as well. Moreover, they don’t have much experience in the format as compared to their group teams, Pakistan and India.
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Nevertheless, against all odds, the side has the ability to create an upset, as not so long ago they defeated Bangladesh in a bilateral series and almost pulled off a stunner vs Afghanistan in the recent tri-series.
Hong Kong:
Squad: Yasim Murtaza (c), Babar Hayat, Zeeshan Ali, Niazakat Khan Mohammad, Nasrulla Rana, Martin Coetzee, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Marc Challu, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Aizaz Khan, Ateeq ul Rehman Iqbal, Kinchit Shah, Ali Hassan, Shahid Wasif, Ghazanfar Mohammad, Mohammad Waheed, Ehsan Khan
Placed in group B, Hong Kong will face Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. Surely, they are placed in the tougher of the two groups, but they have some exciting players who can make their stint interesting and memorable. Led by Yasim Murtaza, who is an excellent all-rounder, Hong Kong would be hoping that their two stars, Anushman Rath and Ayush Shukla, make a statement at the top level.
Having given up on the idea of playing cricket at one point, Rath is now one of the exciting batters in the lineup. He is a team player and could be counted on to punch above his weight for the team.
Then there is Ayush, who is an impressive and up-and-coming star. His brilliance with the ball is evident from the fact that he belongs to an exclusive club of bowlers to have delivered a maiden spell, making him the first Asian and third bowler overall to achieve this feat.
Although it is very unlikely that the side would create an upset, individuals like Rath and Ayush can surely surprise the cricketing world.
Oman:
Squad: Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla, Sufyan Yousuf, Ashish Odedera, Aamir Kaleem, Mohammed Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Karan Sonavale, Zikriya Islam, Hassnain Ali Shah, Faisal Shah, Muhammed Imran, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmad, Samay Shrivastava.
Last but not least, Oman is all set to make their Asia Cup debut. The side is, however, not new to international cricket as they have featured in the T20 World Cup as well. Placed in group A, the side will face Pakistan, India, and the UAE.
Jatinder Singh, who is the captain of the side as well, is likely to be a vital cog in the batting lineup. His ability to go all-in in the power play can set the tone for the side.
Moreover, spinners like Amir Kaleem and Mohammad Nadeem can thrive on the pitches of the UAE. However, they may face the same struggle as the other nations since they don’t have much exposure, and the side relies on the performing players as well.
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