KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's hopes of qualifying for their first-ever men's ICC T20 World Cup were dealt a blow after a 32-run loss to Oman in their opening Group A match of the World Cup Final Asia in Kathmandu, Nepal today.
World No. 20 Oman won the toss and batted first, amassing 153 runs with the loss of six wickets at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground.
Malaysia, ranked 25th in the world, needed to chase 154 runs but could only manage 121 runs with the loss of eight wickets.
Virandeep Singh contributed 57 runs from 53 balls, including two fours and two sixes, and also took three wickets. Captain Zeeshan Maqsood scored 56 runs and took wickets for Oman, while K. Prajapati added 25 runs.
Malaysia will face Nepal tomorrow and Singapore on Thursday.
To secure a spot in the semi-finals, Malaysia must win both matches, despite being the underdogs against 16th-ranked Nepal.
Team manager Amy Mokhzani was disappointed with the team's batting performance.
"Usually, two or three batsmen will contribute significantly, but today only Virandeep managed a half-century.
"We need victories in our next two matches, and although Nepal ranks higher, we have beaten them before," said Amy.