Thrashing China by 10 wickets yesterday, the national cricket team registered their first win of the ongoing ICC World Cricket League Qualifier – Asia being held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, yesterday.

Captain Jigme Singye single-handedly took the game away from China as he went on to take eight wickets bundling up China at a mere 58 runs. It took only 31 balls for Bhutan to wrap up the match in which 38 runs came off Jigme Singye’s bat.

Having suffered a 154 run loss to host Thailand in the opening match and by 214 runs to Qatar in the second match, Bhutan will have to win the three remaining matches to keep their hopes alive to qualify for the knockout stage. Bhutan will face tournament favorites Saudi Arabia next on April 28.

The event which is organised by the International Cricket Council is designed for Asian nations as a step to qualify for the ICC cricket world cup in 2023. However, the chances for Bhutan look slim as only the winner of the tournament qualifies for the next stage.

The tournament that began on April 22 will go on till May 1. Seven teams are participating in the tournament: Thailand, Bahrain, China, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Coach DS Gurung said: “We are playing against some better cricketing nations and our aim is to get better results compared to our past tournaments. We are a young team and trying to apply ourselves tactically so that we become better cricketers.”

Contributed by  Tandin Wangchuk

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