MUSCAT : Oman began their ACC Men’s Premier Cup campaign in emphatic fashion on Sunday, overcoming an early wobble with a powerful batting recovery before their bowlers completed a comprehensive 131-run victory over Singapore in their Group B opener at the Bayuemas Oval in Malaysia.

After Singapore won the toss and opted to field, Oman were quickly reduced to 9 for two and later slipped to 52 for three with the dismissals of Hasnain Ul Wahab, Jatinder Singh and Karan Sonavale.

But the middle-order trio of Hammad Mirza, Mujibur Ali and captain Vinayak Shukla combined to turn the innings around, lifting Oman to an imposing 316 for nine from their 50 overs.

Mirza was central to the recovery, sharing a valuable 75-run fourth-wicket partnership with Mujibur. He brought up a composed half-century from 60 balls, hitting five fours and a six, before falling for exactly 50.

Mujibur continued the rebuilding job and then accelerated, scoring a fluent 71 from 80 deliveries with 10 fours. His dismissal at 192 ended another important stand, this time a 65-run fifth-wicket partnership with Shukla.

The Oman captain then took centre stage. Shukla, leading the side in his first major assignment as captain, produced the innings’ defining assault, smashing 88 from only 56 balls. His knock contained nine fours and three sixes and came at a strike rate of more than 157 as Oman transformed a competitive total into a formidable one.

Jay Odedra added an unbeaten 29 from 25 balls and Hassnain Shah chipped in with 18 from 13, helping Oman add useful runs in the closing overs.

Singapore’s chase never gained sustained momentum.

Skipper Manpreet Singh top-scored with 49 from 56 balls, while opener Suryansh Gulecha provided a brief burst with 30 from just 16 deliveries. Pranav Sudarshan also struck a quick 23 from 13 balls, but Singapore repeatedly lost wickets before any partnership could develop into a serious challenge.

Oman’s left-arm spinner Shakeel Ahmed was particularly impressive, claiming three wickets for 35 runs from his 10 overs, including a maiden, to keep the Singaporean middle order under pressure.

He was matched by pacer Hassnain Shah, who also finished with three wickets, conceding only 29 runs in seven overs. Their combined figures of six wickets for 64 runs effectively broke the back of the chase.

Jitenkumar Ramanandi added one wicket for 17 from five economical overs, while Karan Sonavale took one for 31.

Singapore were eventually bowled out for 185 in 42.3 overs.

The result gave Oman two points from their opening Group B fixture and underlined the strength of their all-round performance. Shukla was named the player of the match.

The manner of the win gives Oman an ideal platform as they continue their group campaign with the 2027 Asia Cup qualification race firmly in focus.

Oman next play Qatar in Bangi on September 2 before taking on Kuwait (September 5) and UAE (September 8) in Group B.

Brief scores: Oman 316/9 (Vinayak Shukla 88, Mujibur Ali 77, Hammad Mirza 50, Jay Odedra 29*; Harsh Venkataram 3/64; Daksh Tyagi 2/47) beat Singapore 185 in 42.3 overs (Suryansh Gulecha 30, Manpreet Singh 49, Riaan Naik 26; Shakeel Ahmed 3/35, Hassnain Shah 3/29).

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