Thinley Namgay
Bhutan beat Kuwait by 40 runs in their maiden match at the 2021 International Cricket Council’s (ICC) T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) yesterday.
Bhutan won the toss and opted to bat first. In the first inning, Bhutan acquired 114 runs at a loss of six wickets in 20 overs. In the next inning, Kuwait managed 74 runs in 19.3 overs with the fall of all the wickets.
Comparing the performance of the 10 overs, Bhutan played a notable game. Bhutan got 65 runs with the loss of three wickets, whereas Kuwait fetched 36 runs and lost five wickets.
Team Bhutan displayed a better game yesterday. During the two warm-up matches against UAE on November 18 and 19, the women managed less than 60 runs on both occasions.
Bhutan is currently ranked 44th in the world, and Kuwait 34th.
Bhutan Cricket’s chief executive officer, Damber S Gurung, said: “Winning a match is a good start. I think this win will give them a boost to perform better in the tournament.”
He said that bowling and fielding made a difference yesterday. “A couple of players batted well to take the score to defend a total. Now the matches will be tough, and if we put up good total runs on the board, we can beat any side.”
Meanwhile, the UAE defeated Malaysia by 30 runs yesterday.
The win against Kuwait was the sixth international cricket match the Bhutanese women’s cricket team has won since its inception in 2007.
The Bhutan women’s cricket team made its debut at the 2009 ACC Women’s T20 Championship in Malaysia. Bhutan won against Qatar by 42 runs. In the same tournament, Bhutan also defeated Oman by 101 runs.
In the 2011 ACC Women’s T20 Championship, Bhutan defeated Oman again but lost to Kuwait. Bhutan defeated Malaysia and the UAE in the 2013 ACC Women’s Championship.
The tournament in Dubai started yesterday, and it will be completed on November 28. Other teams in the tournament are Malaysia, UAE, Kuwait, Hong Kong, and Nepal.
Bhutan will face Nepal today at the ICC Academy Ground 2.