Defending champions Oman edged Bahrain in a thriller to jump to four points in the ILT20 Gulf Cricket Championship on Tuesday. Kuwait matched their points tally by beating Qatar by 6-wickets, although they climbed to second place courtesy a better Net Run Rate (NRR).
UAE, meanwhile, who had the day off, are top of the charts with three wins in three matches played.
The first match of the day, Qatar vs Kuwait at the ICC Academy in Dubai, was a straightforward win for the Kuwaitis. Batting first, Imal Liyanage (69 off 56 balls) was the top batter. He stitched an 80-run partnership for the second wicket alongside skipper Mohammad Rizlan Iqbar (29 off 24 balls).
Except for them, none of the other batters reached double digits. As a result, Qatar, who were 100/1 at one stage, were stopped short at 138/7 after 20 overs.
In reply, Kuwait chased down the target with four overs to spare and six wickets still in the bag. Clinto Velookkaran Anto (44 from 29), Meet Bhavsar (36 off 37) and Usman Patel (34 from 18) were among the runs.
If this contest was straightforward, the one in the evening, between Oman and Bahrain, was hardly but. Oman batted first and scored 130/8 in the 20 overs. Mohammad Nadeem played a key role in the top order with 47 runs from 49 balls. Vinayak Shukla provided a vital cameo role, striking 33 from 24 balls.
In the chase, Bahrain started poorly but found composure in the middle courtesy a blistering 44-ball fifty from Asif Ali with starts also by Haider Ali (16) and Ahmer Bin Nasir (25).
But the late surge, including a six on the fourth delivery of the final was sullied by a wicket on the very next ball.
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