Who is Hammad Mirza? 5 interesting facts about Oman batter who scored 51 in IND vs OMA Asia Cup 2025 match

Oman batter Hammad Mirza produced one of the knocks of the 2025 Asia Cup thus far in the side's spirited run-chase against Team India in the final Group A clash at Abu Dhabi on September 19. Chasing 189 for victory, most wrote off Oman's chances of even competing against a strong Indian bowling attack.

However, with a solid platform laid at 56/1 in the ninth over, Hammad showcased his dazzling range of strokeplay to stun the Indian bowlers. The 27-year-old scored an incredible 51 off 33 deliveries to have Oman dreaming about possibly pulling off a monumental upset.

Yet, his eventual dismissal with the side requiring 35 runs off eight deliveries sealed their fate. Nevertheless, Hammad received several well-deserved plaudits from fans and former players for his brilliant knock on such a big stage.

With Oman eliminated from the tournament, fans might have to wait a bit longer to have a glimpse of the right-hander's batting in another prestigious event.

In the meantime, let us look at five interesting facts about the talented Hammad Mirza on the back of his eye-catching performance against India.

#1 Hammad Mirza started his Oman career as a wicketkeeper

Hammad Mirza has fast turned himself into a reliable No.3 or 4 for Oman in the white-ball formats. However, it is a little-known fact that the 27-year-old was a lower-order wicketkeeper-batter when he entered the side last year.

Hammad kept wickets and batted at No. 7 on his Oman debut in a T20I against Canada in October 2024. He was Oman's gloveman even on his ODI debut against the UAE the following month.

As things stand, Vinayak Shukla has taken over the lower-order wicketkeeper-batter role for Oman this year, with Hammad playing as a specialist top and middle-order batter.

#2 Hammad has batted at a variety of positions in his brief career

Hammad Mirza is only 11 months into his international career, having debuted for Oman in October last year. Yet, the right-hander has already batted in several positions from No. 3 to 8.

In his 11 ODI innings, Hammad has batted at one-drop and No. 5 thrice, while batting at No. 4 five times. However, when it comes to T20Is, the 27-year-old has batted at five different positions for Oman.

Surprisingly, he has batted at No. 5 only twice last year despite boasting an excellent T20I average of 73 at the position. Hammad also batted at No. 6 and 8 once each in 2024.

He has batted at 4 six times, the most across any position, yet averages only 10.33 in T20Is at the position. Hammad has seemingly settled in at No. 3 this year, averaging almost 26 in four innings at the position.

#3 The stunning discrepancies across stages in T20Is

Most batters across teams have preferences, varying from their batting positions to the conditions, and even when they bat during a game. However, with Hammad Mirza, the discrepancies across categories are stunningly revealing.

The right-hander boasts an excellent average of 31.33 and a strike rate of 135.25 when Oman bats second in a T20I game. However, in the same seven innings batting first, Hammad's average drops to a paltry 8.71 at a strike rate of 108.92 in the shortest format.

Furthermore, his numbers in pure night matches compared to day or day-night games convey more. Hammad averages almost 34 at a strike rate of 136.48 in the night T20I matches.

However, the average drops to under 15 in day/Day-Night T20Is, making it crystal clear that Hammad shines bright when Oman are chasing in a night game.

#4 Hammad Mirza is in the top three of several noteworthy categories for Oman since his debut

Hammad Mirza has risen through the Oman ranks swiftly since his debut 11 months back. The 27-year-old has taken the most catches for Oman across formats in this period by a non-wicketkeeper wth 13.

He is also the side's third-leading run-scorer across formats with 364 despite playing only 17 out of a possible 29 matches. Hammad is their second leading run-scorer in ODIs since his debut with 210 runs at an average of 30, behind only skipper Jatinder Singh.

#5 Hammad Mirza's contrasting impact numbers in ODIs and T20Is

Hammad Mirza has arguably been Oman's most impactful batter in the shortest format since his debut last year. The 27-year-old averages an excellent 43.50 in Oman's three T20I wins with a strike rate of almost 136.

Yet, the average and strike rate drop to 14.72 and 123.66 in their 11 T20I defeats, reflecting the importance of Hammad's runs for team success.

On the other hand, the same Hammad has struggled to score impactful runs for Oman in the 50-over format. He averages an impressive 39.50 in the two losses, while averaging only 26 in their eight wins since his debut.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran