A SCINTILLATING, unbeaten knock of 75 from just 47 balls by wicketkeeper-batter, Usman Patel, propelled Kuwait to a convincing five-wicket win over Bahrain last night in the third T20I between the two teams at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman.
Patel smashed six fours and four sixes in his career-best T20I score after coming in at 35 for two in the fourth over to help his team overhaul Bahrain’s total of 153 for six with 14 balls to spare.
The win takes Kuwait 2-1 up in the five-match series.
Patel, who scored a half-century in the previous match as well, looked in supreme touch, making light of a mid-innings stumble by Kuwait as they slumped to 54 for four in the sixth over, to then punish the Bahraini bowlers at will.
Kuwait captain, Mohammed Aslam was content to play second-fiddle to Patel in a fifth-wicket partnership of 56 in just over seven overs before he fell to Waseeq Ahmed for 18 with the score at 110 for five.
Patel, then, shifted gears, hammering Ahmed for two successive boundaries off the last two balls of the same over, before carting the hapless Imran Khan, on debut, for two successive sixes in the very next over.
Suddenly, Kuwait were 137 for five after 15 overs and, with only 17 more runs needed, were just a short canter away from victory.
Earlier, Bahrain were put in to bat after Aslam won his first toss in three attempts.
Umar Toor appeared to pick up from where he left off in his brilliant 72 on Saturday, hitting Mohamed Shafeeq for a six in the third over of the innings and racing to 27 off 20 balls before he and fellow opener, Mohammad Younis fell in quick succession with the score at 45 for two in the seventh over.
All-rounder, David Mathias, promoted to number three, and Janaka Chaturanga set about trying to consolidate. But, when Chaturanga fell for four to make the score 55 for three after eight overs, Bahrain were in a spot of bother as stand-in captain Haider Butt walked in.
Mathias and Butt batted cautiously for the next few overs, refusing to take any risks as leg-spinner Shiraz Ahmed, and slow left-arm bowler Aslam applied the squeeze.
But then, both launched an assault with Butt opening the floodgates as he hit Edson Silva for two sixes in the 15th over and Mathias hitting four sixes en route to his maiden T20I half-century off only 41 balls.
Mathias added another six to his tally, ending with a career-best 61 before he and Butt fell off successive deliveries in the final over after adding a brisk 89 for the fourth wicket in 11 overs.
Thanks to the fourth-wicket pair’s efforts, Bahrain were able to finish with a total in excess of 150. But, on a wicket made for batting and a Kuwait batting line-up high on confidence after their 200-plus total just the previous night, it was never going to be enough.
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