Bahrain opened its innings in the tournament with a win! We defeated Qatar by 5 wickets in the first match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers at the UKM-YSD Cricket Oval in Bangi, Malaysia.
Qatar won the toss and elected to bat, but they were restricted to 116 for 7 in their 20 overs. Aysha (41) and Sabeeja (23) were the top scorers for Qatar, while Sadamali (2 for 18) and Pavithra Shetty (1 for 12) were the pick of the bowlers for Bahrain.
One of the crucial turning points of the match was the dismissal of the Qatar batter Aysha who had really found her rhythm. Once she was dismissed, Qatar was bundled out for a far smaller total than was expected.
The other reason for Bahrain’s victory was the captain – Deepika Rasangika who led from the front, and ensured she brought the match home with her brilliant knock of Deepika Rasangika- 74 runs (57 balls) with a whopping 11 fours!
This news was also covered in the Gulf Daily News – here is a link to the comprehensive article