Undefeated UAE enter ACC Premier Cup 2026 semifinals

Dubai: United Arab Emirates is growing in cricket, whether its the women's team or the men side. The Emirati country one is one game away from qualifying for the semifinals of the 2026 Women's Asia Cup while the men's team are defending their ACC Premier Cup in full throttle.

UAE have won all four of their games in the ongoing tournament in Malaysia. Their latest win came against Oman, a rematch for the 2024 final. UAE's opening batters Tanish Suri and Adeeb Usmani added 88 combined runs to the scoreboard, eventually putting up 192 target.

Oman failed to replicate their opponents, as both of their openers Jatinder Singh and Karan Sonavale only managed four runs each. Mujibur Ali and Jay Odedra continued the tradition of same scores as both men went out for a duck. However Hammad Mirza and Jiten Ramanandi had a decent partnership, adding a combined 68 to the score.

Khuzaima Tanveer remained a key player for UAE courtesy of his three early wickets in the second innings. 20-year-old Aayan Afzal Khan got five wickets. Oman eventually lost all their wickets after scoring 143. They came close to the target but fall of wickets ensured a fourth straight win for UAE.

The winning side now enter the knockout rounds unbeaten. Their opponents for the next round are still not confirmed as they wait for the result of Hong Kong, China vs Nepal game. A win for Hong Kong, China would confirm their progress into semifinals, setting up for a contest against UAE.

This would mean the host nation Malaysia would be knocked out of the tournament. Hong Kong, China's match against Nepal can also be challenging as the latter remains the only side along with UAE to remain undefeated. Nevertheless, no team should be big enough for the defending champions.