The men’s Asia Cup 2025 is less than a week away, and the T20 tournament will provide a stage for Oman to rub shoulders with India and Pakistan.
Chances are far and between for the associate nations when it comes to playing in the big leagues, and hence, the Jatinder Singh-led side would look to make the most of their opportunity. Playing for the first time in the tournament, Oman are placed alongside India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in Group A, with their campaign beginning on September 12 against Salman Ali Agha’s Pakistan.
When associate nations struggle against the bigger teams, it’s easy to dismiss their performances and question why they’re part of the competition at all. But what they truly need is more game time against top international sides. Only by playing regularly against the best can teams like Oman, UAE, and Namibia develop the experience and edge required to compete at the highest level.
Few realise the kind of struggles cricketers face in countries where the sport isn’t the top priority. Sufyan Mehmood, a loyal servant of Oman cricket, made his international debut back in 2009 at just 17. Sixteen years later, after a long and testing journey, he has finally earned the chance to play in the Asia Cup.
Hence, it’s hardly surprising that there was a phase when he even thought of walking away from cricket. With problems piling up by the minute and uncertainty over how he could sustain himself in a region where the sport lacked popularity, doubts inevitably crossed his mind.
“It has been a long journey. I started from school cricket, I started playing for my school and then because of my performances, I got recognised by the age group cricket of the national team, and they called me for the trials. I did well, and then I got selected for the U-17 team. I got man of the match in the second match itself, and then I was selected for the U-19, where I got man of the match against Afghanistan, and then I was selected for the national team. I was only 17 years old when I got selected for the main national team as a senior team, and right now, I’m 33. So, it’s been a long journey, it’s been a journey full of obstacles,” he told The Hindustan Times.
Sufyan and Oman had their first taste of the T20 World Cup in 2016, after securing qualification by finishing sixth in the 2015 qualifiers. They marked the occasion in style, registering a historic maiden victory against Ireland. Since then, Oman has gone on to qualify for two more editions of the tournament – 2021 and 2024.
“Obviously, Oman is a country where cricket is not a very famous sport, so there were issues, there were problems when I had to rethink my career, which was to drop cricket as an option. We had not played in a World Cup, and it was always a dream to represent Oman at the World Cup. So, obviously, it was a big event, it was a big moment for me and for my family, and once that happened, my family also started supporting me on this, and they were really, really supportive,” said Mehmood.
“Even till now, my parents, my family, everyone is really supportive when it comes to cricket. So, there were a lot of obstacles because I was a student as well, I had to give exams, I had to study, I had to play professional cricket, so it was a lot of difficulty and then at the later stages, I had to work, find a job for myself and of course, play as well because it was my passion, it was something which I was good at, so I didn’t want to drop it down. The easiest option for me was to give up playing cricket, but I did not let that happen because I wanted to fight with myself and give myself a chance to do whatever I am good at,” he added.
Sufyan wants to have a conversation with Hardik Pandya
At 33, Sufyan understands the significance of featuring in an eight-team Asia Cup and doesn’t want to let the chance slip by to interact with some of the biggest names in Asian cricket. The all-rounder is especially eager to meet Hardik Pandya and Faheem Ashraf, hoping to learn how they approach the game when the odds are stacked against them.
“It’s a great opportunity playing against top teams like India and Pakistan, and as a cricketer, when we started playing cricket, our heroes or our cricketing idols were obviously from India and Pakistan. So it’s a big moment in our career where we have the chance to rub shoulders with some of the top names of world cricket from these two countries. So obviously, yes, we are looking forward to it,” said Mehmood.
“I’m an all-rounder, so obviously, I would love to have a conversation with Hardik Pandya from India, and then I would love to have a conversation with an all-rounder from Pakistan, that would be probably Faheem Ashraf, I can talk to him because he has a similar role in the team as me. So yes, listen to them on how they cope with pressure, how they deal with different situations, how they have different plans for different situations and all those things,” he stated.
As a youngster, Sufyan modelled his game on Yuvraj Singh and Saeed Anwar, admiring the flair and elegance of the two left-handers. Over time, his focus shifted to South African great Jacques Kallis, before eventually settling on Pandya, whom he now regards as the ‘best all-rounder of the current era’.
“Well, as a cricketer, honestly, I used to love watching Yuvraj Singh and Saeed Anwar because both were left-handed batsmen, stylish batsmen and I’m a left-hander as well and I used to love watching them and when it comes to all-rounders, I follow Jacques Kallis as an inspiration and of course, Hardik Pandya in the current era, he is the best,” he stated.
Controversy involving Sufyan
Recently, Sufyan drew considerable attention in Pakistan after one of his remarks went viral. During a media interaction, he praised the Oman team, saying they were capable of beating anyone on their day. But his words were soon twisted, sparking ripples across the border.
Giving an explanation on the same, he stated, “Well, obviously, as a cricket player for my country, I would always want to win a game and whoever we play, that would be India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, any opposition, we play to win, and like any other cricketer, we want to make our country proud. So, in that sense, I had mentioned that yes, if it is our day, we can beat any side in the world, and then, it just reflected on Pakistan because there was a page from Pakistan.”
“The guy who was interviewing me, the headline was put up like that, and I have nothing against Pakistan, I have nothing against any other country, I am just playing for my country, and I always pray that my country wins whenever we play, like any other cricketer. So, that’s about it. It’s fine, people can get emotional,” he added.
Oman’s Asia Cup squad looks quite different from the one that represented the nation at last year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA. Still, Sufyan remains confident, insisting his side is one to watch out for.
“There are a few new names in the team and some exciting talent, and they have a good future in cricket, obviously, in terms of their skill levels, and what matters is their mindset now, how they cope with the pressure of international cricket,” he said.
“But I’m sure they will do well, and yes, we do have the capability of upsetting major teams or top teams of this tournament, and I think the skill level is there. It’s just the mindset and the ability to cope with the pressure that will matter the most at that level,” he concluded.