Bhutan defeated the Maldives by two runs in the ongoing T20 Quadrangular series in Malaysia, today. This is the second win for Bhutan against the Maldives. Bhutan now has a high chance of reaching the finals with six points and second on the point table. Bhutan will play against Thailand in the last league match this Saturday.
For Bhutan to reach the finals, the Maldives will have to lose at least one game with two remaining in hand. They will also face the host nation, Malaysia, undefeated in the series and who is also leading the point table as of today.
Although the odds are very much in favour of Bhutan, anything can happen in the game of cricket.
The Maldives won the toss and chose to bowl first today. Bhutan made 110 runs. In an absolute thriller of a game, the chase by the Maldives fell short by just two runs.
The league round ends on Saturday and the two top teams will play the final on Monday.
With the last two consecutive wins against the Maldives and Thailand, Bhutan’s T20 ranking climbed to 60th from 76th. According to Cricket Bhutan, this is an important milestone in the history of Bhutanese cricket.
After the ICC World T20 Asia Qualifiers in Malaysia in 2018, the senior national men’s cricket team had not participated in international competitions. A 17-member squad, including three officials, are in Malaysia since June 27.
This four-nation series hosted by Malaysia features the Maldives, Thailand and Bhutan.
Tshering Dendup
Edited by Sonam