Sunday 22 / June / 2025
MUSCAT: Qatar announced its entry to the ACC T20 Western Region championship with an emphatic win against Saudi Arabia at OC Turf 2 in Amerat yesterday. In the day’s other match, Bahrain secured its second successive victory, beating Maldives by 2 wickets in a keenly fought encounter at OC Turf 1.
Saudi and Maldives have now lost two games each. Qatar now face Kuwait today while Maldives take on Saudi Arabia in the day’s other match.
Saudis had a forgettable match yesterday, getting dismissed for 126 and then failing to stop a rampant Qatar who raced to the target with 27 deliveries to spare and four wickets in hand. Only Sajid Imran and Mohammed Adnan batted well for Saudi, scoring 47 and 38 respectively. Taimoor Sajjad and Iqbal Hussain bowled exceptionally well to take three wickets each.
Opener Faisal Javed slammed a strokeful 47 off 26 to put Qatar in the driver’s seat. Muhammed Tanveer remained unbeaten at 33 off 18 to ensure victory was secured without much trouble. Muhammed Nadeem did cause a flutter in the Qatari camp, taking three quick wickets for just 16 runs.
“We had an excellent win today. Cricket is fun if the weather and conditions are good. We enjoyed our cricket here today as the weather was great facilities simply superb. It was an excellent pitch to bat on and it supported bowlers too who were able to put the ball in the right areas,” said Qatar captain Inamul Haq.
He said Qatar had brought a balanced side and looked forward to taking on Kuwait in Tuesday’s match.
“We know Kuwait has a good side but so do we. Faisal Javed and Taimoor Sajjad in particular are quality players and they showed today why they are so highly rated,” added the Qatari captain who was greatly impressed by top class facilities at Oman Cricket Academy.
Brief scores: Saudi Arabia 126 all out in 20 overs (Sajid Imran 47 – 2x4, 2x6, Mohammed Adnan 38 – 2x4, 4x6. Taimoor Sajjad 3-11, Iqbal Hussain 3-26) lost to Qatar 127 for 6 in 15.3 overs (Faisal Javed 43 – 8x4, Muhammed Tanveer 33 not out – 3x4, 2x6, Zaheeruddeen Ibrahim 21 – 1x4, 2x6. Muhammed Nadeem 3-16) by 4 wickets.
Giving a better account of itself yesterday, Maldives posted a fighting 141 for 4 in 20 overs after its dismal 109 against Kuwait on Sunday. Rishwan Mohammed batted well again, scoring a solid 54 while Adam Nashif chipped in with a useful 24. Imran Javed bagged two wickets for Bahrain.
In a disastrous start, Bahrain lost its first three wickets without a run to pacer Ibrahim Hassan who went on to claim 5 for 24 in 3.4 overs. However, prolific opener Sarfraz Ali played another explosive knock to not only pull his team out of trouble but put it on course for a close finish. His score of 59 off 35 included 5 fours and 4 sixes. Bahrain attained victory in the 19th over, scoring 142 for 8. Anasim Khan contributed a useful 22 off 18.
A delighted Bahrain captain Adil Haneef thanked Asian Cricket Council for providing the teams a great opportunity to play cricket at a fantastic venue and prepare for tougher assignments in the months ahead.
He was all praise for Sarfraz and looked forward to better performances from him and his team.
“We have a strong team with a string of all-rounders who can turn the game in our favour on their day. Sarfraz played a gem again and played a key role in us winning this game. We will play Kuwait on Wednesday which a far better side followed by our game against Qatar on Thursday. The boys are pretty confident of winning those matches as well,” added Haneef.
Brief scores: Maldives 141 for 4 in 20 overs (Rishwan Mohammed 54 – 3x4, 2x6, Adam Nashif 24 – 3x4. Imran Javed 2-24) lost to Bahrain 142 for 8 in 18.4 overs (Sarfraz Ali 59 – 5x4, 4x6, Anasim Khan 22 – 1x4. Ibrahim 5-24, Mauroof Ameel 2-29) by 2 wickets.
