Asif Ali's 89 ends Kuwait's unbeaten run as Bahrain chase down 189 in Bangi

Bahrain chased down 189 with four balls to spare in Bangi to beat Kuwait by six wickets and take sole ownership of first place in Asia Qualifier A

Bahrain beat Kuwait by six wickets at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval in Bangi on Friday, reaching 189 for 4 with four balls remaining after Kuwait had posted 188 for 7 in the 11th match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Asia Qualifier A.

Captain Asif Ali made 89 from 48 balls and was named player of the match, holding the chase together on a ground where 377 runs were scored in 39.2 overs.

Both teams arrived unbeaten after three matches, and the result left Bahrain as the only side in the seven-team tournament with a perfect record.

Umar lifts Kuwait after a slow start

Bahrain won the toss and chose to bowl, and Kuwait were 59 for 3 inside nine overs with Adnan Idrees, Clinto Anto and Ravija Sandaruwan all gone.

Muhammad Umar changed the innings with 78 from 38 balls, striking five fours and seven sixes. He added 108 for the fourth wicket with Ali Zaheer Udin, who made 44 from 32.

That stand carried Kuwait from 59 for 3 to 167 for 4 in the 18th over. Bilal Tahir then hit 16 not out from seven balls to take them to 188 for 7, a rate of 9.40 an over.

Dawood keeps the total in reach

Ali Dawood was the one Bahrain bowler Kuwait could not get away, finishing with 3-14 from his four overs at an economy rate of 3.50.

He struck twice in two balls at the end of the 19th over, bowling Ali Zaheer Udin and then Meet Bhavsar with Kuwait on 171, which cost them the platform Umar had built.

Imran Khan took 2-30, removing both Idrees and Umar, while every other Bahrain bowler conceded at more than nine an over.

Asif Ali takes the chase on

Bahrain lost Prashanth Kurup for 3 in the second over, and from 20 for 1 their captain simply attacked.

Asif Ali hit ten fours and four sixes in his 89, putting on 57 with Fiaz Ahmed and 45 with Junaid Aziz, each of whom made 32. Neither partnership lasted long, but both kept Bahrain ahead of the target.

Kuwait had one answer in Adnan Idrees, who dismissed Fiaz Ahmed and Junaid Aziz in a spell of 2-23 from four overs.

A finish with four balls to spare

Asif Ali was run out off the final ball of the 19th over, nine short of a century and with nine still needed, leaving Bahrain on 180 for 4.

Ahmer Bin, 20 not out from 15 balls, and Imran Anwar, 8 not out from two, settled it in the last over. Bahrain scored at 9.69 an over across the chase.

Kuwait's bowling figures tell the story of the ground: Shahrukh Quddus conceded 38 in 2.2 overs and Anudeep Chenthamara 47 in four.

What it means for the table

Bahrain now have four wins from four and eight points at the top of the table, with Kuwait second on six after their first defeat. Kuwait still hold the best net run rate in the group.

The qualifier runs from 5 to 14 October across three venues in Malaysia, with Bahrain, Bhutan, Kuwait, Mongolia, Myanmar, Qatar and Thailand playing a single round robin.

The leading sides advance to the regional final against teams from Sub Regional Qualifier B, the next step on the road to the 2028 Men's T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Scorecard: Kuwait 188 for 7 in 20 overs (Muhammad Umar 78, Ali Zaheer Udin 44; Ali Dawood 3-14) lost to Bahrain 189 for 4 in 19.2 overs (Asif Ali 89, Fiaz Ahmed 32, Junaid Aziz 32; Adnan Idrees 2-23) by six wickets.

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