Title race hots up as Bahrain bat out Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia vs Bahrain
Bahrain raised the temperature in the ICC Men’s T20 WC Asia A Qualifier after they piled up 179/9, the highest total in the event so far, against Saudi Arabia and then carved out a dominant 18-run triumph at the Asian Town Stadium on Thursday. Their second victory in four matches, thanks to a blistering 67 off 47 balls by Abdul Wahid, took them to the top with six points and a healthy net run-rate of 2.409.
On the last day of the tournament on Friday, Qatar and Kuwait, who are also in the race with two wins each, are scheduled to clash. It is clear that only the winner can challenge Bahrain and they will have to win by a big margin in order to beat the Bahrain’s NRR. So plenty of fireworks are expected at the venue on the morrow.
Saudi Arabia, who defeated Kuwait and added suspense to the five-team contest, fell out of the contention after their second loss and are holding the fourth spot, while Maldives are at the bottom with zero points. Only the champion will gain the right to play in the one of the two Global Qualifiers for the mega event, to be hosted by Australia next year.
After being asked to bat first, Bahrain began attacking the rivals bowlers right at the start and mustered 89 runs for the opening wicket with the help of Sarfaraz Ali and Muhammad Younis. Soon after Ali smashed a six off Imran Yousaf in the 10th over, the bowler responded by splitting up the pair and bowled Younis for 33.
Ali kept up his power-hitting at one end and whacked two more sixes before falling to Hisham Sheikh in the 13th over. But his 45-ball cameo, which contained six sixes and three fours, provided the much-needed springboard to his team. Though they kept losing wickets, Bahrain managed to post a daunting total.
Saudi Arabia attempted to force the pace but could not succeed against some tight bowling by Bahrain. At one stage they were reeling at six down for 58. Though Abdul Wahid sought to repair the damage with his fighting 72 not out and his 56-run alliance with Hisham Sheikh (22 off 20) for the sixth wicket, the task was too steep to accomplish. In the end, they required 66 runs off the final overs and could reply with 161 for six. Wahid’s 40-ball knock was quite gritty, with five sixes and six fours.
Sathaiya Veerapathiran and skipper Anasim Khan shared four wickets between them, while Imran Anwar and Waseed Ahmed picked one scalp apiece. Ali was adjudged the Player of the Match for his fiery batting.
Player of the match: Sarfaraz Ali of Bahrain
Maldives vs Kuwait
Kuwait made sure there were no hiccups or surprises before their final match against hosts Qatar as they cruised to a five-wicket win over Maldives in the Asia Qualifier Group A for the 2022 ICC T20 Men’s World Cup at the Asian Town Stadium on Thursday. Adnan Idrees was the pick of the bowlers for his 3/27 that helped bundle out the rivals for just 102 in 20 overs.
Ahmed Hassan, who smashed two sixes and four boundaries in his 38-ball 42, was the lone battler for Maldives. He was also among the only three players who posted double-digit scores. Besides Idrees, Edson Silva, Nawaf Ahmad (2 for 14), Edson Silva (2 for 15) and skipper Mohammed Aslam (2 for 18) did well with the ball.
During Kuwait’s chase, Silva launched a brutal attack on the rival bowlers after his opening partner Ravija Sandaruwan was out a duck. At 88, a mini collapse saw Kuwait lose three wickets for just three runs, including the scalp of Player of the Match Silva, who whacked four sixes and half a dozen fours in his 29-ball 58.
However, with the target being so small, Kuwait did not encounter more troubles and completed the victory in just 12 overs.
Player of the match: Edson Silva of Kuwait