AL AMERAT : By 7am on Saturday, the first spectators were already at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Muscat, hoping to get a seat. The opening ball was still two hours away. By the time India and Pakistan met in the Under-19 Asia Cup final, thousands had turned up and a seat was out of the question for many. Outside the ground, some fans stood on top of parked cranes for a glimpse of the pitch. Others made do with car roofs and goalposts.
It was the weekend in Oman, and two of its expatriate communities had the chance to watch one of cricket’s biggest rivalries close to home. Indian and Pakistani supporters came wanting different results. They spent their Saturday side by side, watching teenagers play out a final that kept both sets of fans waiting until the last delivery.
Pakistan set India 338 to win after opener Usman Khan made 107. India’s captain, Lakshya Raichandani, scored 80, but the chase was slipping away at 252 for eight. A stand of 57 between Manal Chauhan and Mohit Ulva gave India a way back. On the final ball, with three runs needed, Ulva hit a boundary to seal a one-wicket win.
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The fixture explains why the crowd was so large. Oman’s own cricket culture helps explain why there was a crowd ready to turn up at that hour. The game has deep roots among South Asian communities in the Sultanate, and its organised season draws club and company teams from across the country. For some of the people following the game here, cricket is also something they make time to play themselves.
Al Amerat has had its share of big cricket days. Oman co-hosted the men’s T20 World Cup with the United Arab Emirates in 2021 and played its opening-round matches at the ground. The country qualified again in 2024. For people who follow cricket in Oman, the ground is a place where they can watch their own national side as well as teams they grew up supporting.
The scorecard will show India won by one wicket. The view from outside the ground told another part of the story. At an age-group match on a Saturday in Oman, people who had missed out on a seat were still looking for somewhere to stand.
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