Seven different players, one surname: Oman cricket’s Playing XI captures imagination at Asian Games

The Oman men's cricket team lost to Hong Kong, China in the Asian Games but it was something else that truly captured the imagination.

Updated on: Sep 25, 2026, 10:46:24 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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The Oman men's cricket team began their Asian Games 2026 campaign on Friday with the match against Hong Kong, China, but the contest ended in disappointment as the Sufyan Mehmood-led side went down by 41 runs at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. However, more than the result, it was something else that caught the imagination of fans worldwide as seven players with the same surname featured in Oman's playing XI on Friday.

Seven players out of the nine Al Balushis featured in the playing XI for Oman on Friday. (Hemant - X)

Mohammed Al Balushi, Shuaib Al Balushi, Zubair Al Balushi, Waheed Al Balushi, Issa Al Balushi, Naveed Al Balushi, and Faris Al Balushi featured in the lineup for the match against Hong Kong, China. Moreover, there are two more players with the same surname in the squad – Wasim Al Balushi and Qais Al Balushi, taking the total tally to nine.

Mohammed Al Balushi, Shuaib Al Balushi, Zubair Al Balushi, and Waheed Al Balushi formed Oman's top-order as these four batted in the No.1 to 4 batting slots, scoring 2, 20, 0 and 1 respectively. Issa Al Balushi batted at No.7, scoring seven runs with the bat.

Shuaib, Naveed, and Mohammed Al Balushi also made their presence felt with the ball in hand, scalping five wickets between them, with Mohammed taking three wickets, conceding 17 runs.

All you need to know about these seven players

Mohammed Al Balushi has represented Oman in six T20Is, with his debut coming earlier this year against Singapore. His highest score is 81, which came against Bahrain on June 3, 2026. Speaking of Shuaib, he has also played the same number of T20Is as Mohammed. The 30-year-old all-rounder has so far scored 117 runs and returned with four wickets.

Zubair Al Balushi has also played six matches for the national team. However, he failed to get going in the Asian Games 2026 opening fixture against Hong Kong, China, as he was dismissed for a duck.

Coming to Waheed, he made his T20I debut for Oman on Friday in the Asian Games contest; however, he had a game to forget, scoring just one run with the bat. In total, Issa has played five matches; however, his returns have been underwhelming, amassing just 23 runs.

Naveed Al Balushi, a fast-bowling all-rounder, has represented Oman in five fixtures, taking seven wickets, with his best figures being 4/22 against Singapore in his debut match.

Returning to Faris Al Balushi, the 29-year-old has represented Oman in two matches, and the left-handed batter has scored 10 runs, and doesn't have any wickets to show in his kitty.

What happened in the match between Hong Kong, China and Oman

Hong Kong, China posted 121/8 in 20 overs after opting to bat, and the team didn't have to break a sweat in defending the total as Oman was restricted to 80/6, winning the match by 41 runs.

Oman will next take on Malaysia on Saturday and the side need to register a win to have any chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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