Bahrain’s miserable run continued in the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier as they lost their Group A match to the UAE by 69 runs – their third defeat in four games – in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Chasing a 143-run target off 20 overs, Bahrain had limped to 48 for four off 17.1 overs when a downpour forced the end of the match with the kingdom’s team 69 runs short of the DLS par score.
Earlier, Bahrain captain Deepika Rasangika sent the UAE in after winning her third consecutive toss only to see player-of-the-match, UAE opener Esha Oza smack an unbeaten 78 off just 60 balls with five fours and a six to lead her team to an above par total of 142 for three off 20 overs.
As their run-chase started, the Bahrain openers just could not get going in the face of some tight bowling. By the time, Tharanga Gajanayake fell to leg-spinner Vaishnave Mahesh for a pedestrian nine off 29 balls, Bahrain were 17 for one in after 8.2 overs, scoring at just over two runs an over which was never going to be enough to overhaul the stiff target.
And, after Mahesh took two more wickets in the same over, prising out the other opener Abeera Waris for a 22-ball five and Ishara Suhun for a first-ball duck, Bahrain had slumped to 19 for three after nine overs, still requiring another 124 runs off 11 overs.
Rasangika, as she has done all tournament, stroked the ball fluently from the start. But, when Mahesh accounted for Gayani Fernando for one in the 13th over, Bahrain had been reduced to 28 for four and looked likely to be bowled out for their third sub-100 total in three games.
However, Pavithra Shetty, in at number six, managed to hold her end up, scoring three not out in an unbroken 20-run, fifth-wicket partnership with Rasangika, who finished with an unbeaten 25 off 29 balls, before the rain began to fall with Bahrain, at 48 for four after 17.1 overs, far short of the DLS par score of 117.
Bahrain will now play only for pride in their last match against Bhutan tomorrow with both teams level on two points and eliminated from the competition since they are currently placed fifth and fourth respectively in the six-team table and have no hope of reaching the last-four stage.
The UAE and Nepal have already qualified for the semi-finals from Group A with both teams having won all four of their matches so far.
Hong Kong, with three consecutive wins in Group B, which features five teams, are also through to the last-four stage and will have to wait until tomorrow to see which of Kuwait or Thailand will join them in the semi-finals.
BRIEF SCORES: UAE 142/3 in 20 overs (Esha Oza 78 not out, Tharanga Gajanayke 2/15 beat Bahrain 48/4 in 17.1 overs (Deepika Rasangika 25 not out, Vaishnave Mahesh 4/10) by 69 runs (DLS method)
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