Bahrain capped their spectacular, unbeaten run in the five-team Malaysia Open T20 Championship by defeating hosts Malaysia by eight wickets in a one-sided final at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Malaysia captain Ahmed Faiz opted to bat first after winning the toss but the decision backfired as the hosts limped to a dismal 77 for nine off their 20 overs.
The wrecker-in-chief for Bahrain was star medium-pacer Rizwan Butt, who followed his outstanding five for 12 against Tanzania with another fine performance, returning figures of three for 10 off four overs.
Butt accounted for both Malaysian openers with the hosts 12 for two in the fourth over before returning at the death to take one more wicket. Fellow medium-pacer Sarfaraz Ali backed him up well with figures of two for 14 off his four overs.
Needing only 78 to win, Bahrain found themselves in early trouble at 15 for two in the fourth over with openers Umer Toor and Ali back in the shed.
But Sohail Ahmed, in at number three, and captain Haider Butt ensured there would be no more hiccups as they put on a match-winning 67-run partnership for the third wicket.
Ahmed remained unbeaten with 32 while Haider Butt hit the winning stroke – a six over midwicket off Virandeep Singh, with Bahrain needing just two to win – to finish with 37 not out.
“This was a fantastic performance by the team,” a pleased head coach Bhaskar Pillai said.
“They played as a cohesive unit, backed each other all the way and, most importantly, displayed a self-belief that they could overcome any odds and any opponent throughout the tournament.”
Pillai singled Rizwan Butt out for particular praise.
“Rizwan was fabulous throughout the tournament,” he said.
“He was always on the money with the new ball and just as good in the slog overs.”
The Bahrain Cricket Federation’s (BCF) advisory board chairman Mohammed Mansoor said that the title win would boost the game significantly in the kingdom.
“The boys truly lived up to their potential,” he said.
“We know that we’re strong in the T20 format but they still had to produce the goods. And they played really well, showed their skills.
“Cricket in the kingdom will receive a big boost as a result of this tournament victory.”
Mansoor added that the BCF would soon be getting its own cricket ground which would enable the board to host tournaments for international cricket stars and teams.
“We would like to thank Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa for his continued patronage and support,” Mansoor said.
This is Bahrain’s second T20I tournament win since the team made its debut in the format in 2019. The first was also in Malaysia in December 2022 with Bahrain defeating the hosts by six wickets in a thrilling final to lift the 2022-23 Malaysia Quadrangular T20I Series.