Muscat – Oman’s all-homegrown squad scripted history on Wednesday as the Men in Red secured their place at the Nagoya-Aichi 2026 Asian Games next year.

Under the captaincy of Sufyan Mehmood, Oman locked in back-to-back victories in Group B of the Men’s T20I Asian Games Qualifier as they outplayed Bahrain by 20 runs at the Singapore National Cricket Ground.

Mohammed Al Balushi smashed a brilliant 81 as Oman cruised to victory, their second in as many matches, to advance to the semi-finals along with Hong Kong, who routed Singapore on Wednesday, to seal their berth in the Asian Games from the group.

Oman would now meet Hong Kong on Friday to decide the group topper with their semi-final opponent to be either Nepal or Malaysia. Both Nepal and Malaysia have already booked their berths in the semi-finals with respective wins over China in the three-team group.

Asked to bat first on Wednesday, Oman were handed a flying start by Mohammed and Shuaib Al Balushi, who put on 101 runs for the opening wicket.

Mohammed dominated the Bahrain attack with a scintillating 81 off 51 balls, striking seven fours and six sixes, while Shuaib contributed 32 from 30 deliveries with two fours and two sixes. The pair laid the perfect platform for Oman after racing to 100 in just 11.2 overs.

Following Shuaib’s exit, captain Sufyan Mehmood ensured the momentum was maintained, finishing unbeaten on 40 from 27 balls with five boundaries. After Mohammed’s dismissal in the 15th over, Sufyan added a valuable 32 runs with Zubair Al Balushi (10) as Oman posted a formidable 184 for 4 from their 20 overs.

Muhammad Adil was Bahrain’s most successful bowler with 2 for 20, while Sameer Yousuf and Abid Ullah Shah claimed one wicket apiece.

Bahrain’s chase suffered an immediate setback when Shuaib removed Numan Yousuf without a run on the board. However, captain Junaid Aziz and Abdulla Pervaiz steadied the innings with a 50-run partnership for the second wicket.

Oman struck back through Sameer Othman, who dismissed Pervaiz for 27, but Bahrain remained in the contest as Junaid and Mohammed Sameer added 65 runs for the third wicket. Mohammed Sameer blasted 43 from just 24 balls, including three fours and three sixes, while Junaid made 46 from 36 deliveries.

The turning point came when Othman removed the dangerous Sameer at 115 for 3, halting Bahrain’s momentum. Othman finished with figures of 2 for 34 from four overs, while Sufyan delivered another key breakthrough by dismissing Junaid and returned economical figures of 1 for 27. Nawed Al Balushi also chipped in with 1 for 35 as Bahrain were restricted to 164 for 5.

Oman’s Mohammed Al Balushi was named the player of the match for his 81.

The victory follows Oman’s opening win over Singapore and underlines the growing confidence of a squad made up entirely of Oman-based players, who have now made history by qualifying for the Nagoya-Aichi 2026 Asian Games.

At the Asian Games, the all-Omani team will now compete alongside heavyweights India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Japan have sealed their berth as host nation.

Brief scores: Oman 184/4 (Mohammed Al Balushi 81 (51), Sufyan Mehmood 40 not out (27), Shuaib Al Balushi 32 (30); Muhammad Adil 2-20) beat Bahrain 164/5 (Junaid Aziz 46 (36), Mohammed Sameer 43 (24), Abdulla Pervaiz 27 (24); Sameer Othman 2-34, Sufyan Mehmood 1-27, Nawed Al Balushi 1-35) by 20 runs.