Oman were 5 for 3 in the third over, and Hong Kong’s 121 was enough by 41 runs
Ayush Shukla took 3 for 23 as Hong Kong picked up their first points of the Asian Games, with Oman against Malaysia still to settle Group B.
Sep 25, 2026
Hong Kong made only 121 for 8 against Oman at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Friday, and it turned out to be far more than they needed. Oman were 5 for 3 inside three overs of the chase, never recovered, and finished on 80 for 6. Hong Kong won by 41 runs.
It was their first win of the Asian Games men’s cricket competition, a day after Malaysia had beaten them by eight wickets, and it keeps them in the hunt for a quarter-final place.
Shukla does the damage early
Ayush Shukla struck in the first over of the chase, removing Mohammed Al Balushi. Zubair Al Balushi went for a duck in the second over and Waheed Al Balushi for one in the third. At 5 for 3, the chase was already in trouble.
Shukla finished with 3 for 23 from his four overs. Leg-spinner Mohammad Ghazanfar then choked the middle overs and took 2 for 10.
Oman’s captain Sufyan Mehmood batted through to the end for 26 not out from 35 balls, and Shuaib Al Balushi made 20 from 26. Neither could lift the scoring rate, and Oman never looked like getting close to 122.
Hong Kong’s innings was hardly smooth either
Hafeez Khan top-scored with 33 from 37 balls and Babar Hayat made 23 from 25, and their stand of 51 for the third wicket was the best of the match. Around it, wickets kept falling. Mohammed Al Balushi took 3 for 17 from his four overs for Oman.
Scores have been low all tournament. Afghanistan defended 129 against Japan on the opening day, and Hong Kong themselves made only 81 for 9 against Malaysia. Once Oman lost three wickets for five runs, 121 was always going to be enough.
The scorecard also caught a lot of attention online for another reason. Seven of Oman’s playing XI share the surname Al Balushi.
What comes next in Group B
Oman play Malaysia, who lead the group, on Saturday in the final group game. A Malaysia win sends Malaysia and Hong Kong through. An Oman win leaves all three teams on one win each, and net run rate decides it.
The top two in Group B join the four seeded sides in the quarter-finals. The group winners play Bangladesh, and the runners-up meet Pakistan. From Group A, the winners face Sri Lanka and the runners-up play India.