Bahrain will take on hosts Malaysia today in the opening match of the Malaysia Quadrangular T20I series at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur.
The nine-day tournament, which runs until December 23, also features Qatar and Singapore, who will play their first game at the same venue in the afternoon after the Bahrain-Malaysia encounter.
Led by captain Sarfaraz Ali, the 15-man Bahrain squad arrived in the Malaysian capital two days ago hoping to produce a better showing than they did in last month’s Desert Cup T20I Series 2022 where, after a fine start to the four-nation tournament, their form fell away later and led to a last-place finish.
But this is all part of the learning curve for Bahrain’s national cricketers, all of whom are expatriates with day jobs. Despite the lack of any proper training facilities and having to play on sandy grounds with artificial pitches, the team has displayed grit and determination in various tournaments around the world, often prevailing over superior opponents on their own turf in high-intensity clashes.
Head coach, former Indian Test cricketer Aashish Kapoor, who took charge just last December, has made the most of the raw talent at his disposal and, on their day, the Bahrain team can upstage more experienced ICC Associate Member opponents, who have state-of-the-art facilities and proper cricket grounds at their disposal.
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