Oman crush Sri Lanka by 9 wickets in Hong Kong Sixes plate semi-final
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Oman chased 93 in just 4.4 overs to beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the Plate semi-final.
- Usman Afridi smashed 46 off 14 balls. Zohaib Amanat made 43 not out off 13.
- Oman now play the Plate final against the winner of Hong Kong vs Pakistan on Saturday.
Oman beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets on October 31.
The win came in the Plate semi-final of the Hong Kong Sixes 2026.
The match was played at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok. It started at 10:50 AM IST. That was 1:20 PM local time in Hong Kong.
What happened
Oman won the toss and chose to bowl first. Sri Lanka batted first in their six overs. They scored 92 runs for the loss of five wickets.
Vishen Halambage was the star for Sri Lanka. He hit 37 runs off just 12 balls.
Movin Subasingha gave good support with 28 runs off 10 balls. Sachitha Jayathilake added 17 off 8 balls. But no one else could stay long at the crease.
Oman's bowlers kept things under control. Muzahir Raza was the best bowler on the day. He took two wickets and gave away 27 runs in his two overs.
Aamir Kaleem took one wicket for 17 runs. Zohaib Amanat took one wicket for 11 runs in his only over.
Sri Lanka finished on 92 for 5 after their six overs.
Oman's record chase
The target of 93 looked tough at the start. In a six-over game, every ball counts. But Oman's batters made it look easy.
Usman Afridi led the attack. He hit 46 runs off just 14 balls. Seven of those balls went over the boundary for six.
He did not hit a single four. Muditha Lakshan got him out. No other Sri Lanka bowler took a wicket.
At the other end, Zohaib Amanat played just as well. He finished on 43 not out off 13 balls. He hit two fours and five sixes.
Captain Aamir Kaleem scored the winning run and finished on 1 not out.
Oman reached 93 for 1 in only 4.4 overs. They lost just one wicket in the whole chase.
That means they won by nine wickets, with eight balls to spare. The game was over in less than five overs.
Why it matters
This result hurts Sri Lanka badly. They are the champions from the last Hong Kong Sixes, played in 2024.
According to LankaTalks, they stormed through that event as underdogs and won the title. Now they cannot defend it.
The Hong Kong Sixes splits teams into three knockout levels. The best teams play in the Cup. The middle teams play in the Plate.
The rest play in the Bowl. Sri Lanka dropped into the Plate. That means they are out of the race for the main trophy.
This is also a big statement from Oman. They beat a full-member cricket nation by a huge margin. Their run rate was nearly 20 runs per over.
That is the kind of batting that wins short-format tournaments.
Muzahir Raza was named Player of the Match, according to CricTracker. He made the difference with both ball and bat. He took two wickets for 27 runs.
He was part of the fielding effort that kept Sri Lanka to 92.
For fans of Hong Kong Sixes 2026, the big news is the UAE. They topped Group C after beating both India and Pakistan. They now play in the Cup semi-final against Australia.
That match starts at 12:40 PM IST on Saturday. Scotland face Afghanistan in the second Cup semi-final at 1:35 PM IST.
What happens next
Oman are through to the Plate final. They will play for fifth place in the tournament.
Their opponent will be the winner of the second Plate semi-final. That match is between Hong Kong and Pakistan.
It starts at 11:45 AM IST. That is 2:15 PM local time in Hong Kong.
Pakistan landed in the Plate after losing to the UAE in Group C. They beat India in their other group game but finished second.
Hong Kong were the runners-up of Group A. Both sides will want the Plate final spot badly.
Fans in India can watch the rest on Sony Sports 1 and FanCode. CricketNews lists both for the tournament.
Fans in Pakistan can watch on A Sports and ARY Plus. Viewers in the US and Canada can catch the action on Willow TV.
In Sri Lanka, the games are on Sony Sports 1 through Dialog TV.
Oman's win is a warning to the other teams in the Plate. They scored at nearly 20 runs per over against Sri Lanka.
Fans of Oman's international side will enjoy this chase. It was quick and clean.
If their batters keep this form, they are strong favorites to lift the Plate trophy.
The Plate final will be played on Saturday. A fifth-place finish may not sound like much.
Australia, Scotland, Pakistan and India are all in this tournament. Against that field, fifth place would be a fine result for Oman.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will go home thinking about what went wrong.
Their title defense ended in the consolation bracket. That will sting for a long time.
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