Abdul Waheed's unbeaten 67 carries Saudi Arabia past Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur

Saudi Arabia's opener batted through the chase to beat the hosts with five balls to spare and make it two wins from two in Kuala Lumpur

Saudi Arabia beat Malaysia by three wickets at Bayuemas Oval on Friday, overhauling a target of 138 with five balls remaining in the fourth match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Asia Qualifier B.

Abdul Waheed opened the innings and was still there at the finish, unbeaten on 67 from 44 balls, after his side had been reduced to 77 for 5 inside the first 10 overs of the chase.

Malaysia had earlier made 137 for 2 from their 20 overs, losing only two wickets all innings but never finding the acceleration a batting-friendly surface invited.

Malaysia rebuild but never break clear

Malaysia chose to bat and lost both openers inside the fourth over.

Captain Syed Aziz fell for a six-ball duck to Ishtiaq Ahmed, and Nazmus Sakib was bowled by Usman Khalid for 10 from 13, leaving the hosts 15 for 2.

Virandeep Singh and Muhamad Syahadat then batted out the remaining 16.4 overs together, adding an unbroken 122 for the third wicket.

Virandeep finished on 61 not out from 53 balls with five fours and a six, and Syahadat on 55 from 48 with three fours and two sixes.

Saudi Arabia's bowlers kept the rate down throughout, Ishtiaq Ahmed conceding 18 runs from his four overs and Usman Najeeb 21 from his, and Malaysia closed at 6.85 an over.

Virandeep strikes twice in two balls

The chase began badly and then came apart in the 10th over.

Faisal Khan went for 4 in the first over, captain Waji Ul Hassan made 13 from 13, and Abdul Manan Ali fell for 8 to leave Saudi Arabia 64 for 3 in the ninth.

Virandeep then struck with consecutive deliveries, having Mohammed Hisham Shaikh caught for 12 and Muhammad Atif caught and bowled first ball to make it 77 for 5.

His four overs cost only 15 runs and brought him 3-15, the best figures of the match.

Waheed holds the innings together

Waheed had been at the crease since the first ball and simply stayed there, striking at 152 while the wickets fell around him.

Zain-ul-Abidin gave him 18 balls of support for nine runs before being caught behind off Prashant Madhukar with the score on 106.

Usman Khalid provided the late impetus, hitting 14 from 10 balls before Virandeep bowled him in the 19th over at 132 for 7.

That left six to get, and Waheed, with five fours and three sixes to his name, saw it done alongside Usman Najeeb in the 20th to take the Player-of-the-Match award.

Hosts left to rue the rate

Malaysia's problem was tempo rather than wickets: eight batters never reached the crease, and the total asked their bowlers to defend under seven an over.

Virandeep's spell made a contest of it, and Vijay Unni and Prashant Madhukar took a wicket apiece, but Syed Aziz's three overs went for 33.

It is Malaysia's second defeat in two days, after Hong Kong, China beat them by seven runs on DLS method on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia make it two from two

Saudi Arabia, who beat Singapore by 75 runs in their opening match, are unbeaten after two games, as are Hong Kong, China.

Six teams are playing a single round robin in Kuala Lumpur, and the top three go through to the next stage of the Asia qualification pathway in 2027, with places at the regional final to follow.

"We are honoured to host these important events on the road to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2028," Mahinda Vallipuram, president of the Malaysian Cricket Association, said before the tournament began.

Saudi Arabia meet Hong Kong, China on Sunday, while Malaysia face Maldives in search of a first win.

Scorecard: Malaysia 137 for 2 (Virandeep Singh 61*, Muhamad Syahadat 55*; Ishtiaq Ahmed 1-18, Usman Khalid 1-28) lost to Saudi Arabia 139 for 7 (Abdul Waheed 67*, Usman Khalid 14; Virandeep Singh 3-15) by three wickets.

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