ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final 2023: Top run-getters and wicket-takers after Kuwait vs Bahrain match (Updated) ft. Kushal Bhurtel
Oman secured a five-run win against Nepal in a thrilling ninth match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2023 on Thursday (November 2). Meanwhile, UAE bagged a 22-run victory against Hong Kong in the 10th game. In the 11th contest, Malaysia bagged a 60-run win against Singapore. On the other hand in the 12th clash, Kuwait registered a four-wicket win against Bahrain.
Shifting our focus to the ninth game, Oman batted first after losing the toss. They posted a total of 145/9 in 20 overs, thanks to captain Zeeshan Maqsood's 32-run knock. For Nepal, Karan KC bagged a three-wicket haul.
In response, the Nepal batters faltered badly as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Kushal Bhurtel (26) and Bibek Yadav (39) were the star batters but in vain. Nepal could score only 140 runs in 20 overs, losing the game by five runs. Bilal Khan was the star bowler for Oman with three wickets.
Moving to the 10th match, UAE batted first and managed to post a good-looking 176/6 in 20 overs. Captain Waseem Muhammad shined with a 46-run knock alongside Basil Hameed's 51 off just 29 balls. Yasim Murtaza bagged a three-fer for Hong Kong with the ball.
In the chase, Hong Kong could post only 154/8 in 20 overs. No. 3 batter Anshuman Rath was the top-scorer with 59 runs off 47 balls. Zahoor Khan and Ali Nasser bagged two wickets apiece to steer the game towards UAE.
In the 11th contest, Malaysian batters Sharvin Muniandy's 60-run unbeaten knock and captain Ahmad Faiz's 71 runs propelled the team to 198/4 in 20 overs. In the chase, Singapore's top-order started well, contributing 112 runs for the first three wickets.
However, they collapsed later to get bundled out for 138 runs in 17.5 overs. Malaysia's left-arm spinner Muhammad Amir was the star bowler for the side, scalping a five-wicket haul.
Delving into the details of the 12th clash, Bahrain racked up 158/9 in 20 overs, thanks to Imran Javed's 37-run knock. With the ball, Miraz Ahmed and Shiraz Khan bagged two wickets each for Kuwait.
In reply, Kuwait chased down the target in just 16.3 overs with four wickets remaining. Keeper-batter Usman Patil's 64 off 34 and captain Mohammed Aslam's 36* propelled the side to victory.
With the conclusion of the group stage, Oman and Bahrain will lock horns in the first semi-final, with UAE and Nepal clashing against each other in the second semi-final.
On that note, here are the updated top run-getters and wicket-takers after Day 3 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final 2023 .
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final 2023 Most Runs
Nepal opener Kushal Bhurtel maintains his leading position on the run-scoring tally with 143 runs at an average of 47.66. Oman skipper Zeeshan Maqsood secured the second rank with 114 runs from three innings with 56* being his highest score.
Hong Kong No. 3 batter Anshuman Rath racked up 96 runs from three innings at an average of 32 to occupy the third position. Kuwait's Usman Patel bagged 96 runs to move up to the fourth rank, with Singapore's Rohan Rangarajan making it to the fifth slot with 94 runs.
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final 2023 Most Wickets
Malaysia's left-arm spinner Muhammad Amir racked up eight wickets from two innings to propel himself to the pole position. Nepal medium pacer Abhinash Bohara is the current second-leading wicket-taker with eight scalps from three innings.
Oman left-arm pacer Bilal Khan secured the third rank with seven wickets. Bahrain medium pacer Rizwan Butt racked up five wickets from three innings to settle for the fourth rank. Bahrain left-arm spinner Abdul Majid occupies the fifth position, picking up five wickets.