BANGKOK: Saudi Arabia beat Bhutan by one wicket in a thrilling ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Group B qualifying match in Bangkok on Wednesday, keeping their tournament progression hopes alive.
Bhutan won the toss for the match, held at the Thai capital’s Terdthai Cricket Ground, and elected to bat first. They started well against the medium pace of Fahad Munir and slow left-arm spin of Ahmed Faisal.
Faisal took the opening wicket as Tshering Rigden was bowled for 18 from 18 balls, but number three batter Tenzin Rabgay went for his shots and played well with opener Ronak Pradhan, who batted more cautiously. They combined to bring up a 50-run partnership for the second wicket and Bhutan were well-placed at 83 for the loss of one wicket after 15 overs.
Rabgay’s innings ended on 44 from 38 balls after he was bowled by Arhan Arif with the score on 85, and Saudi Arabia took their third wicket as Anuj Pradhan was dismissed by Taha Vaseem.
Bhutan were 95 for 3 after 20 overs, progressing to 152 for 3 by the 36th. However, Saudi Arabia’s bowlers were containing their opponents well, having been in the field for 50 overs against Oman in their previous match.
Vaseem was the pick of the Saudi bowling attack, managing to claim four wickets for 27 runs as Bhutan lost their last seven wickets for just 26 runs. They ended up on 178 all out after 47 overs.
Saudi Arabia’s openers both looked confident in pursuit, but Shahzad Sami was bowled lbw to Sangay Dorji for 9 and captain Rayyan Khan was caught behind off Ugyen Dorji for 12, leaving the young Greens on 24 for 2 after just four overs.
Mohammad Zuber and Mohammad Rehan came together in the middle needing to rebuild for Saudi Arabia. The score reached 47 in eight overs and 56 for 2 by the end of the 10-over powerplay.
By the time the third Saudi wicket went down, Rehan had been joined by Hashir Ahmad. With the target less than 100 runs away, the match turned into an intriguing battle between the Saudi batsmen and the Bhutan spinners.
Bhutan’s captain, Tshering Rigden, alternated his bowling attack well and forced Saudi Arabia into a collapse of their own in the middle batting order. The Greens fell from 96 for 3 to 117 for 8, still needing 54 runs for victory.
Number 10 batter Faisal, who hit 22 runs off 62 deliveries, played a superb anchor role and forged a priceless 52-run ninth wicket partnership as Saudi Arabia crawled towards their target, even while losing their penultimate wicket on 169 still needing 10 to win.
With just four runs required in the final over, it was player-of-the-match Faisal who won the match for the Saudis, hitting a crucial boundary with just four balls remaining.
The win means Saudi Arabia’s hopes of progress in the tournament are still alive and in their own hands — a victory over Hong Kong on Friday will secure them a semi-final place.
Oman confirmed their place in the semi-finals in Group B on Wednesday, with a 53-run victory over Hong Kong at the Asian Institute of Technology Ground.
