Oman's Sufyan Mehmood is living his dream after defying his family

For Sufyan Mehmood, 33, playing in the Asia Cup carries an extra layer of pride. He is the only Omani national in the current squad, a distinction that fills him with great honour.

A seam-bowling allrounder known for his accuracy and lower-order hitting, Mehmood would have been in the UK studying - perhaps he might have even had a corporate career - if his father had his wishes. But Mehmood chose to decline an admission to Loughborough University to pursue business administration because he wanted to play cricket.

"Unlike others who come to Oman to make a career, I didn't have those challenges," Mehmood told ESPNcricinfo. "I had all the comforts, and didn't have to worry about building a life. But my challenges were different.

"Everyone in my family were academically inclined. My older brother is a dentist at the health ministry, my younger brother is a petroleum engineer, [and] my younger sister is also a dentist who runs a private practice. My father grew up the ranks from being a salesman to now being CEO of a company he joined nearly 30 years ago.

"Now, I guess you can understand what my challenges were: how to convince my family I wanted to play cricket in a country that didn't have a culture. But ever since I started, I saw kids in school taking up this new sport, and wanted to play it."

Mehmood first made the Oman Under-15s, he said, in "2005 or 2006 - I can't remember". What he does recall, though, is that on his first tour, to Thailand, he was the Player of the Match in just his second outing. "It was against Iran, I was 14 years old."

From there, he made the Under-17s, and was finally part of the national squad in 2009. "The depth wasn't as much, so if you did well in one or two games, you could progress," he said. "Straight off that Under-19 tour, I played for the senior team."

That must have been a massive moment in his young career, but because games were far and few, the significance of that moment dissipated very quickly.

"When I started playing cricket, I didn't know that we would play a World Cup one day," he said. My parents wanted me to study. So after rejecting my offer from Loughborough University, I enrolled in an Omani university that was affiliated to another UK university - at least temporarily my dad was pacified," he said with a laugh. "I would manage my classes, speak to my professors, tell them I had matches, and cover it up later. They supported me well."

But staying back in Oman meant figuring out an alternate career too, outside of cricket.

"Domestic cricket here is basically corporate cricket," he said. "Companies will have their teams in the premier division, they will hire you and give you a job.

"In my first year, I couldn't find any job, so I just found one job outside cricket, in an event management company. I played after working [for] hours. After that year, I got an offer from Enhance, who had a cricket team. I worked for them for four-five years in the HR department before moving to Renaissance Services, where I lead the cricket side. We've won two trophies in the last two years under me."

In 2015, Mehmood had his first big taste of top-flight cricket when he was part of the Oman squad that qualified for the 2016 T20 World Cup in India. In 2021, too, he was part of the squad when Oman hosted the first leg of the tournament. In last year's T20 World Cup, Mehmood was part of the reserves. That he was in the reserves is because much of his 2023 went in recovering from a meniscus tear, which meant he didn't have much game time.

"And I didn't have enough form to carry with me in the limited games," he said. "In Oman, most doctors told me to get operated. But I went to Mumbai to meet Dinshaw Pardiwala, the same doctor who had treated Rishabh Pant after his accident. He told me I didn't need surgery. I just had to do strengthening, and be meticulous with my physiotherapy and rehab for two-three months. I followed his advice, and I was fine."

Through all this, Mehmood held on to one belief: never give up. "It would have been easy for anyone to give up at any stage I went through, both career-wise, [and] cricket-wise - especially in a country where cricket is not a national sport," he said.

Even now, the Asia Cup feels like a new chapter. "The last year has been really good. In the ODI series in the USA [in the Cricket World Cup League 2], I scored 72 against them and took three wickets. Against India in the Emerging Asia Cup [in October 2024], I took Nehal Wadhera's wicket and got him bowled.

"Against Pakistan, I dismissed Umair Bin Yusuf, and hit a six off Imran Khan Jr. I even spoke to players like Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma. Just sharing thoughts on cricket felt special."

His family, once hesitant, is now firmly behind him. "After the World Cups, they saw cricket was growing in Oman," he said with a smile. "Now they ask me how much I scored, [and] how many wickets I took. They might even come [to] watch me in the Asia Cup. They are excited."

For Mehmood, being a cricketer is no longer about proving anyone wrong. As the only Omani-born player in the team, he knows what his presence means.

"See, it feels great because I know how much struggle I went through to reach this stage, not the typical struggle to settle and be financially independent, but the struggle to prove myself and get an identity. I never had a proper coach, [and] no real facilities. I learned by watching YouTube videos. That is why I am proud of this journey."