Bhutan, Bahrain and Kuwait win the opening matches of the Asia sub-regional qualifier

Bhutan, Bahrain and Kuwait all won on the opening day of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Asia Qualifier A in Malaysia

Three matches opened the seven-team tournament on Monday across two grounds near Kuala Lumpur. Bhutan beat Myanmar by 27 runs at the Bayuemas Oval, Bahrain held off Thailand by 7 runs at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, and Kuwait overwhelmed Qatar by 58 runs in the day's closing fixture.

Two of the three were scraps decided inside 120 runs. The third was not: Kuwait's 199 for 7 was more than the other three sides managed between them, and Qatar never came close to it.

The seven teams play a single round robin through 14 October, and the leading sides go through to the Asia regional final, where the qualifiers from the parallel sub-regional group join them on the pathway to the 2028 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Jamtsho keeps Bhutan upright

Bhutan chose to bat first and immediately found the surface awkward, losing wickets steadily to Myanmar's seamers. Paing Danu took 3-23 from his four overs and Kaung Htet Kyaw conceded only 14 in taking two, and at that rate a total worth defending looked unlikely.

Thinley Jamtsho made sure there was one. He finished unbeaten on 40 from 27 balls with two sixes, adding most of the late runs that carried Bhutan to 119 for 8. Namgang Chejay's 22 from 26 and Tenjin Rabgey's 18 from 29 were the only other scores past 15.

Myanmar's reply never got going. Gakul Ghalley took 3-28, Rabgey added 2-7 from his four overs and Anand Mongar 2-11, and Myanmar were held to 92 for 9. Paing Danu's 16 was the top score of an innings in which nobody passed 20, and Jamtsho was named player of the match.

Bahrain defend 104 at Bangi

Thailand won the toss and bowled at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, and for 20 overs the decision looked a good one. Nopphon Senamontree and Aruesanan Wichakam took two wickets each and Bahrain were restricted to 104 for 6, Junaid Aziz top-scoring with 26 from 27 balls.

Imran Anwar alone scored at better than a run a ball, his unbeaten 22 from 14 at the end of the innings proving to be the margin.

Thailand's chase was a steady accumulation that ran out of balls. Pattarapol Jirapatananukul made 23, Phanuphong Thongsa 21 from 30 and Akshaykumar Yadav 19, but Asif Javed returned 3-14 from four overs and Abdul Majid conceded just nine in taking two. Thailand closed on 97 for 8, seven short, with Javed taking the match award.

Kuwait's batting order shares the load

Qatar also chose to bowl, and were punished by a Kuwait innings in which seven batters reached double figures and none made 35. Adnan Idrees opened with 23 from 11 balls, Clinto Anto hit 29 from 17, and Ravija Sandaruwan's 29 from 27 held the middle together.

Muhammad Umar then made 32 from 20 and Bilal Tahir an unbeaten 32 from 16 with three sixes, lifting Kuwait to 199 for 7. Mirza Mohammed Baig's four overs cost 55.

Qatar needed the sort of start they did not get. Imal Liyanage made 39 from 28 and Muhammad Asim 28 from 22, but Idrees followed his runs with 2-22 and Mohammed Aslam took 2-28, and Qatar finished on 141 for 8. Idrees was named player of the match.

Mongolia join in on Tuesday

Mongolia, the seventh side, were the one team idle on Monday and begin their tournament against Kuwait at the Bayuemas Oval on Tuesday.

The other two fixtures pair the day's losers with the day's winners: Qatar meet Thailand at the Bayuemas Oval, and Bahrain face Bhutan at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval. With 21 matches in ten days, one defeat is recoverable, but only just.

Scorecard: Bhutan 119 for 8 (Thinley Jamtsho 40*, Paing Danu 3-23) beat Myanmar 92 for 9 (Gakul Ghalley 3-28) by 27 runs; Bahrain 104 for 6 (Junaid Aziz 26) beat Thailand 97 for 8 (Asif Javed 3-14) by 7 runs; Kuwait 199 for 7 (Bilal Tahir 32*) beat Qatar 141 for 8 (Imal Liyanage 39) by 58 runs.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.