Muscat – Oman’s Asian Games Men’s T20I Qualifier campaign ended with a whimper on Monday as Malaysia handed them an eight-wicket defeat in the third-place playoff in Singapore, leaving the homegrown side to settle for fourth place after a creditable run to the semi-finals.

The defeat was Oman’s third successive loss of the tournament, following a group-stage setback against Hong Kong and a semi-final defeat to Nepal. Yet the young homegrown squad can reflect on a creditable campaign, having achieved its primary objective of qualifying for the Asian Games by reaching the tournament’s last four.

With every member of the squad except captain Sufyan Mehmood making their debut in the competition, Oman exceeded expectations by securing a top-four finish and valuable international exposure against some of Asia’s emerging cricket nations.

After winning the toss, Malaysia elected to field and quickly justified the decision, although Oman made a steady start through openers Mohammed Al Balushi and Shuaib Al Balushi.

The pair added 43 runs for the opening wicket, providing Oman with a solid platform. Mohammed Al Balushi top-scored with 25 off 37 deliveries that included four boundaries, while Shuaib struck 19 from 21 balls, including two sixes and a boundary.

However, once Shuaib was dismissed by Pavandeep Singh in the eighth over, Oman’s innings unravelled alarmingly.

From 43 for no loss, the batting line-up collapsed under sustained pressure from the Malaysian bowlers. Captain Sufyan Mehmood managed only three runs before falling to Virandeep Singh, who then removed Zubair Al Balushi two balls later to trigger a middle-order slide.

Wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals as Muzaffar Shiralkar, Abdul Jalil, Rashad Al Balushi and Sameer Othman all departed cheaply. Only Nawed Al Balushi, unbeaten on 10, reached double figures after the opening pair as Oman slumped from 43-0 to 69-8.

The innings eventually ended at 90 in 19.2 overs, with Ahmed Al Zadjali’s late seven providing the final runs.

Malaysia’s bowlers shared the honours. Player of the Match Virandeep Singh delivered a superb spell of 3 for 7 from four overs, while Vijay Unni (3-17) and Muhammad Amir (3-14) also claimed three wickets apiece.

Chasing a modest target of 91, Malaysia lost Aslam Khan without scoring in the opening over off Shuaib Al Balushi and slipped to 12-2 when Adeshlie Alias was bowled by Sameer Othman in the fourth over.

Any hopes of an Omani comeback, however, were swiftly extinguished by Malaysia captain Syed Aziz and Virandeep Singh.

Aziz produced a commanding unbeaten 54 from just 29 deliveries, striking five fours and four sixes, while Virandeep followed up his bowling heroics with an unbeaten 29 off 20 balls with a six and two hits to the ropes.

The pair shared an unbroken third-wicket stand that carried Malaysia to 91-2 in exactly 10 overs, sealing victory with 60 balls to spare.

While the tournament ended on a disappointing note, Oman will take encouragement from a campaign that saw a largely inexperienced squad secure qualification for the Asian Games. The experience gained in Singapore is expected to serve the young side well as preparations begin for the continental event.

The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi Prefecture in Japan will take from September 19 to October 4. The men’s competition begins on September 24 with the final on October 3. Ten teams – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman – will compete for the gold medal.

The tournament begins with preliminary qualifiers between September 24 and 26, followed by the quarter-finals (September 28-29), the semi-finals (October 1), and the bronze medal and gold medal match on October 3.

Brief scores: Oman 90 all out in 19.2 overs (Mohammed Al Balushi 25, Shuaib Al Balushi 19, Nawed Al Balushi 10 not out; Virandeep Singh 3-7, Vijay Unni 3-17, Muhammad Amir 3-14) lost to Malaysia 91-2 in 10 overs (Syed Aziz 54 not out, Virandeep Singh 29 not out; Shuaib Al Balushi 1-13, Sameer Othman 1-52).