The United Arab Emirates moved a step closer to securing a place in next year’s Men’s World T20 Cup with a 77-run win over Samoa in the Asia/East Asia Pacific Qualifier in Muscat on Wednesday. The result not only kept the UAE’s hopes alive but also confirmed Nepal and Oman’s progress to the 2026 tournament, regardless of the outcome of their remaining Super Six match.
The Asia/East Asia Pacific Qualifier, held at the Oman Cricket Academy, offers three qualification spots for the T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February. For the UAE, who suffered defeats to Nepal and Oman earlier in the Super Six stage, the equation was simple – win both their remaining games against Samoa and Japan to cement their place. With one of those wins secured, they now face Japan on Thursday in what could be a decisive encounter.
After two narrow losses, the Emirates bounced back impressively against Samoa to post a formidable total before their bowlers dismantled the opposition to secure a morale-boosting win. The margin of victory also gave them a major boost in net run rate as Thursday’s clash with Japan looms as a potential decider in qualification.
However, for Nepal and Oman, the trip to India and Sri Lanka in 2026 is already secured. Both sides took two points each into the Super Six stage and continued their fine form to finish in the top three. Nepal’s qualification came after two dramatic last-ball wins – first against the UAE and then against Qatar.
In a thriller against UAE, Dipendra Singh Airee’s final over turned messy as Dhruva Parashar’s six briefly threatened to tilt the game before Sundeep Jora’s catch and two run-outs gave Nepal a stunning victory. A day later, Sandeep Lamichhane took 5 for 18 to destroy Qatar’s chase of 148 to seal another triumph for Rohit Paudel’s men in the last match.
Meanwhile, Oman eased past Qatar before overcoming the UAE in a thrilling finish thanks to Nadeem Khan’s late fireworks. Their consistency ensured early qualification for the global show piece.
However, Samoa’s defeat to the United Arab Emirates ended their campaign as they failed to repeat their strong group show which included victory over Papua New Guinea. Qatar remain mathematically alive but face an uphill task – needing to beat Samoa on Thursday and hope other results and net odds change.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
October 16, 2025
