Bahrain clinched a sensational Super Over win over Singapore yesterday after their second 2022-23 Malaysia Quadrangular T20I series game ended in an extraordinary tie at the UKM-YSD Cricket Oval in Bangi.
Needing 11 to win off six deliveries, Imran Anwar smoked the third ball over long-off for six and scampered a leg-bye off the fifth to seal a memorable win for Bahrain.
Earlier, medium-pacer Rizwan Butt took two wickets in three balls in the 19th over of Singapore’s innings, including that of opener Amartya Kaul, to effectively curtail the run-chase.
Suddenly reduced to 134 for seven as they chased 145 to win, Singapore, somehow, managed to scramble another 10 runs off the remaining eight deliveries but that was only enough to tie with Bahrain’s total of 144 for eight off their 20 overs and force the Super Over.
Kaul had anchored Singapore’s innings with a mature 56 off 64 balls on T20I debut, keeping a calm head as the Bahrain bowlers prised out wickets at the other end with regularity.
But he shifted gears when captain Janak Prakash was bowled by player-of-the-match Butt for 18 with the scoreboard reading 105 for five in the 16th over and 40 still required off 26 deliveries.
However, after adding 29 off just 16 balls for the sixth wicket with Abdul Rahmna Bhadelia, Kaul became the second of Butt’s eventual three scalps for the match, leading the game to head towards its exciting denouement.
Bahrain captain Sarfaraz Ali had opted to bat after winning the toss and smacked two sixes and a four in an opening stand of 28 off just four overs with wicketkeeper-batsman Prashant Kurup before being stumped for a 12-ball 18 off left-arm spinner Vinoth Baskaran.
Kurup, then, added 24 off 20 balls for the second wicket with Anwar and, when the latter fell for nine, put on another 17 in quick time with Sohail Ahmed before being run out for a 32-ball 33.
Haider Butt joined Ahmed with Bahrain 74 for three after 10.1 overs and watched as his batting partner laid into the Singapore bowling, stroking two fours and a magnificent six before being caught and bowled by off-spinner Manpreet Singh for 32 off only 24 balls.
Bahrain were now 108 for four with only 31 deliveries left in the innings and Ahmer Bin Nasir, with a 14-ball 22, and Butt, 12 off 18, added 24 off three overs before both fell in quick succession with the score 132 for six.
With Junaid Aziz, promoted to number seven after his heroics from a day earlier, unable to produce the same big-hitting form as he fell for five and Butt being run out in the quest for quick runs, Bahrain managed only 12 more runs off the last 11 balls of the innings, finishing with 144 for eight after having looked likely to score in excess of 160 at one stage.
But any fears that that total might not be enough were allayed by a fine performance from Butt, who finished with the impressive figures of three for 19 off his four overs and then returned later to restrict Singapore to just ten runs in the Super Over – a target Bahrain were eventually able to overhaul with ease.
Bahrain will now play Qatar, who were beaten by hosts Malaysia by eight wickets yesterday, in their third game tomorrow.
Singapore will face Malaysia, who are currently on top of the table with four points from two wins in two games.
Qatar are in second place with two points while Bahrain, also with two points, are in third position because of net run-rate (NRR).
Singapore, who have lost both their matches thus far, languish in last place
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