Muscat – Oman were crowned champions of the inaugural Gulf T20I Cricket Championship that concluded in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday.

In a thrilling final, Oman, led by Aqib Ilyas, defeated UAE by five wickets with four balls to spare.

Chasing a victory target of 164 after restricting UAE to 163/5, Oman rode on skipper’s knock of 67 and an unbeaten 53 from Ayaan to reach the target. Shoaib Khan contributed a vital 22 after Oman were reduced to 11 for two. A 66-run stand between Ilyas and Shoaib put the team back on course.

Earlier, Bilal Khan and Ilyas picked up two wickets apiece to restrict the UAE to 163.

Skipper Muhammad Waseem top scored with 46.

Oman reached the final despite two defeats in the round-robin format.

Oman lost their opening match to UAE by 22 runs but exacted revenge for the trophy.

Oman bounced back to defeat the hosts Qatar by 19 runs but lost to Bahrain in one of the most thrilling games as Mendis’ men went down by one run.

Oman then demolished Saudi Arabia by 47 runs and booked a place in the final with a massive 68-run win over Kuwait on Friday.