Farooq’s five-fer steers Qatar to victory over Bahrain

Doha, Qatar: Left arm pacer Amir Farooq s impressive five wicket haul, combined with half centuries from Imal Liyanage and Mohammad Ahnaff powered Qat...

Doha, Qatar: Left-arm pacer Amir Farooq’s impressive five-wicket haul, combined with half-centuries from Imal Liyanage and Mohammad Ahnaff powered Qatar to a 13-run victory over Bahrain in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier B yesterday.

The win at Doha’s West End Park International Cricket Stadium marked Qatar’s fourth consecutive triumph in the tournament bringing them within reach of the Regional Final, where the top two teams will progress.

Batting first, Qatar posted a formidable total of 185-2 with Liyanage smashing 78 off 49 balls and Ahnaff contributing 60 off 50.

Farooq led the charge in defending the total, claiming 5-32 in his four overs as Bahrain were restricted to 172-9. Mohammed Jabir (2-32) and Ikramullah Khan (1-4) also chipped in with key wickets. Bahrain captain Haider Ali top-scored for his side with 68 runs.

In other matches, Saudi Arabia defeated Cambodia by five wickets while Thailand secured a narrow seven-run win over Bhutan.