The Maldives concluded its campaign in the Asian Sub-Regional Qualifier for the ICC T20 World Cup with wins against Mongolia and Myanmar in their final two matches.
The Maldives concluded its campaign in the Asian Sub-Regional Qualifier for the ICC T20 World Cup with wins against Mongolia and Myanmar in their final two matches.
Yesterday, the Maldives defeated Mongolia by 117 runs. The Maldives posted 178 runs for the loss of six wickets, while Mongolia was bowled out for 61 runs in 19.1 overs.
This game marked the Maldives' highest total in a T20 match to date. Gedera Wijesinga led the scoring with 56 runs off 39 balls. Maldives captain Azyan Farhath was named Player of the Match after taking four wickets.
On Thursday, the Maldives comfortably defeated Myanmar by nine wickets. Myanmar, batting first, was dismissed for 51 runs in 17 overs. The Maldives chased down the target, scoring 52 runs for the loss of one wicket in just 5.3 overs.
Ismail Ali remained unbeaten with 23 runs off 11 balls. The Player of the Match was Adam Umar (Aadhalhey).
In Qualifier A, which included seven countries, the top two teams from the league stage will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Currently, Hong Kong and Kuwait lead the standings, followed by Singapore and Malaysia.
The Maldives lost its first four matches in the qualifier against Malaysia, Singapore, Kuwait, and Hong Kong, and did not advance to the next stage. However, they showed resilience against the stronger teams throughout the qualifier.
In their opening match, the Maldives was defeated by Malaysia by 94 runs. Malaysia scored 203 runs for the loss of three wickets in 20 overs, while the Maldives managed 109 runs for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs. Mohamed Shiyam and Gedera Wijesingha made their T20 international debuts in this game.
In their second match, the Maldives lost to Singapore by 47 runs. Singapore scored 153 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs, while the Maldives was bowled out for 106 runs.
Kuwait defeated the Maldives by 142 runs, scoring 226 runs for the loss of four wickets. The Maldives batted through the 20 overs without being bowled out, finishing with 84 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
Although the Maldives couldn't reach an average of 100 runs, they managed to hold onto their wickets against the stronger Kuwait team. Both teams started playing T20 Internationals in the ACC Western Region tournament held in Oman in 2019, where their first match was also against each other.
Against Hong Kong, the Maldives batted first and scored 102 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs. Hong Kong chased down the target of 103 runs with ease, winning by nine wickets in just nine overs. In this match, Mabsar Abdullah made his T20 International debut for the Maldives.
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