Bahrain put up a valiant fight but went down by two wickets against Kuwait in its second match of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup at the Mulpani Ground in Nepal.
It wasn’t the best of starts for Bahrain after being asked to bat first as opening batter Muhammad Younis was out for a duck after facing seven balls.
The innings only gathered pace after Fiaz Ahmed came to the crease and scored 48 runs in 54 balls including four fours and two sixes. He built a partnership with captain Haider Ali who also steadied the innings with a swift 34 off 35 balls.
It was Imran Anwer who played the most vital role, scoring a quick-fire half-century in 17 balls. It was perhaps the fastest fifty of the tournament which he achieved with the help of three fours and five sixes.
Bahrain eventually scored a respectable 255/7 at the end of 50 overs.
Kuwait started their innings cautiously but Yasin Patel (63), Adnan Idrees (56) and Meet Bhavsar (54) saw the team home with 34 balls to spare.
Bahrain fell short of the goal of getting key wickets at the right time. Abdul Majid Abbasi was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets and was instrumental in dismissing Kuwait’s top order, especially top-scorers Idrees and Bhavsar.
Bahrain will now take on Hong Kong in a crucial match tomorrow which will likely decide their standing in the group.
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