Thinley Namgay    

The national women cricket team lost to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in both the warm-up matches of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers.

UAE won by 88 runs in the second warm-up game yesterday at MCC ground, Ajman. In the 20 overs game, UAE acquired 142/2, whereas Bhutan scored 54 runs at a loss of eight wickets.

In the first game on November 18, UAE won by nine wickets. UAE  managed 58/1 in 8.4 overs, but Bhutan scored 57/7 in 20 overs.

Bhutan Cricket’s chief executive officer, Damber S Gurung, said: “Girls have been training for almost nine months here in Bhutan. But haven’t played any organised matches so far. Spending a few days prior to the tournament was an important task.”

He said the two practice sessions prior to the main tournament would have made the players aware of the situation.

“Batting has always been a drawback, but looking at the score, at least they got more than 50 runs. Now, if there is more execution of the ball (targeting boundaries), I am sure we can add another 60 runs,” he said.

Damber S Gurung said it all depends on the players’ application, and players need to believe in themselves and show their talents.

Organised by the ICC, the tournament will begin in Dubai from November 22 to 28. Bhutan will play the first official game against Kuwait on November 22 at ICC Academy Ground 1.

Bhutan, Malaysia, UAE, Kuwait, Hong Kong, and Nepal are playing the qualifiers.

Bhutan women’s team is currently ranked 44 in the world. Nepal is at 14, followed by UAE at 17.  Hongkong, Kuwait and Malaysia are at 25th, 34th and 35th places, respectively.

The tournament will be a precursor to the 2022 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Edited by Tshering  Palden