Imran Butt’s fine half-century and sensible bowling by Abdul Majid, ably supported by all four medium pacers who chipped in with crucial wickets, helped Bahrain beat Hong Kong by 20 runs in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers.
Losing the toss and being put into bat, Bahrain started disastrously, losing skipper Toor in the very first over. The top batters once again failed to give a good start, and the power play initiative was lost as Bahrain lost three quick wickets for just 24 runs.
A small partnership of 37 runs between Imran Butt, who was asked to bat at number 4, and Haider steadied the Bahrain innings somewhat, but Haider got run out. Butt went on to top-score with an aggressive 62 off 43 balls. Bahrain eventually folded up for a paltry total of 146, getting bowled out in 19.3 overs.
However, in the second innings, Bahrain’s bowling was at its best, with Abdul Majid, who opened the bowling with the new ball, taking three crucial wickets for just 7 runs. The remaining six wickets were shared by the four medium pacers, with one Hong Kong batsman also being run out.
It was a very convincing victory for Bahrain, which keeps their hopes of qualifying for the next round alive.
