Hosts United Arab Emirates will look to shake off the drubbing from India when they face debutants Oman in the Group A Asia Cup match in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
UAE, playing only their second Asia Cup, were skittled out for a mere 57 in 13.1 overs in their opener before India raced to their fastest T20 victory.
Oman too fared no better, bowled out for 67 in 16.4 overs while chasing 161 against Pakistan, underlining the gulf in class between the associate teams and the tournament heavyweights.
Coach Lalchand Rajput, who guided India to the T20 World Cup triumph in 2007, admitted his UAE side had never encountered such quality in bowling and looked overawed by India's star-studded line-up.
Against Oman, however, the hosts will find themselves on a more level playing field.
The UAE qualified for the tournament by winning the ACC Men's Premier Cup and came into the event following a tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan. They showed flashes of brilliance but could not sustain it over the entire match and it will be about holding on to the advantageous positions.
In the match against India, captain Muhammad Waseem scored 19 off 22 balls while Alishan Sharafu hit a six and three fours in his 22 off 17 balls. They will be the key as the team seeks its first points. Rahul Chopra, Asif Khan and left-arm spinner Haider Ali will also need to chip in with useful contributions.
For Oman, Shah Faisal and Aamir Kaleem impressed with three wickets apiece against Pakistan, while Hammad Mirza was the lone bright spot with the bat. The debutants, many of whom juggle cricket with day jobs, will be eager to make a mark.
Skipper Jatinder Singh praised his side's bowling and fielding effort and vowed to “play positive cricket” against the UAE.
"Really proud of the boys, the way they bowled and fielded. Our team is a lot better than what we performed today, and confident that we can do a lot better," Singh said after the match.
Teams (from):
United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem (captain), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D'Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra, Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Saghir Khan.
Oman: Jatinder Singh (captain), Ashish Odedara, Aamir Kaleem, Karan Sonavale, Hassnain Shah, Mohammad Nadeem, Vinayak Shukla, Hammad Mirza, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava, Mohammad Imran.
Match starts: 1730 IST
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