CRICKET – Bahrain have named a 14-player senior men’s cricket national team that will be competing in the Asian Games men’s cricket qualifiers, to be held in Singapore from May 31 to June 9.
The squad list was announced by the Bahrain Cricket Federation.
The kingdom’s representatives are in Group C for the 13-nation qualification competition, which will be played in Twenty20 International format.
They will be playing alongside South Korea and Hong Kong in the preliminary round as they aim to secure an historic first-ever berth in the men’s cricket tournament at the quadrennial Asiad.
Group A features Nepal, Thailand, and Indonesia; Group B is composed of Oman, the Maldives, and hosts Singapore; and Group D consists of Malaysia, Qatar, China, and Uzbekistan.
After a single round-robin, the top two from each pool will move on to the qualifiers’ quarter-finals, after which the winners will advance to the semis as well as secure their spot at the 20th Asian Games, taking place later this year in Aichi and Nagoya in Japan.
Bahrain’s roster features captain Junaid Aziz Mehr, vice-captain Numan Yousaf Khan, wicket keeper Mohammed Hamza Butter, Mohammad Sameer Nabi, Waleed Khan Mohammad, Abdulla Pervaiz Bakhsh, Hamza Riaz Hussain, Abdullah Muhammad Yousaf, Yousif Wali Ur Rehman, Sameer Mohamad Yousaf, Muhammad Adil Khan, Abdul Samad Masood, Mohamad Junaid Khushi, and Shujaat Rasool Aslam.
Bahrain’s reserve players include Usman Anayat, Jaber Mohammad, Azeem Khalid, Abid Ullah, Shahi Muhammad, Hamza Noor, and Rauf Ejaz.
The national team manager is Samad Mohamed Ahmed, while the head coach is Noorul Abdulsattar Saliha, and the assistant coach is Nawaf Mohammad Bakhsh.
The kingdom’s squad will be opening their campaign against the South Koreans on June 1.
They will then be taking on Hong Kong on June 3 with the hopes of securing their spot in the round of eight, scheduled for June 6.
The semis will then take place on June 7, and then the final and game for third on June 9.
At the upcoming Asiad, 10 nations will be competing in the men’s cricket tournament, which is scheduled for September 17 to October 3.
Already confirmed to be taking part are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and hosts Japan.
The other four slots will be determined at the Singapore qualifiers.
Cricket became a medal sport at the 16th Asian Games in 2010.
The upcoming event will mark the fourth time it is being held as part of the multi-sport spectacle’s programme.
The 20th Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya is set to feature an exciting programme of 43 sports, with elite athletes, both men and women, expected from nearly 50 nations from across the continent.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))