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Kaleem propels Maldives to thumping win
KATHMANDU, SEP 26 - Moosa Kaleem lead with example guided Maldives into the final of the Emerging Nations’ Tournament today at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Stadium.
Maldives scored 167 for the loss of four wickets in the allotted 25 overs and restricted the lowly Bhutan to 78 for the loss of nine wickets to record a 89-run win. The overs were reduced after the start was delayed due to overnight rainfall.
Although light drizzles during the first innings threatened to end the match without result, both the sides insisted to continue. Maldives’ captain Kaleem scored a whirlwind 42 runs in 23 balls with a four and four sixes and remained unbeaten. He later took two wickets to claim man of the match award. For Bhutanese team, which played their first international match last year against the same opponent and lost by nine wickets, the match was satisfactory. "It’s big improvement for our young team," Bhutan’s manager Jigme N Norbu said after the match. "Last time, we stayed for fifty overs and scored 60-odd runs, this time it’s better."
As Norbu rightly put it out, experience was the difference between the two teams. Bhutan’s Dorji Darpa dropped three catches that helped Maldives capitalise poor bowling. Openers Azim Ali and Abdulla Shafeeu added 49 runs in nine overs after a patient start before Shafeeu was caught at mid-on by Tshiring off Tandan Wangchuk. Shafeeu made 19 in 27 balls with a four.
Ali scored 29 runs in 44 balls before being adjudged leg before by umpire Binaya Jha off Damber Singh Gurung’s bowling. But the wickets didn’t put brakes on the scoring rate as the new batsmen scored at brisker pace.
Beside Kaleem, Zayan Salie scored 25 off 30 balls and Afzal Faiz got 32 off 25 balls before giving away his wicket in the last ball of the innings. Bhutan gave away 20 extra runs while the other Tandin Wangchuk went for 36 runs in three overs without a wicket.
While replying, Bhutan’s openers Darpa and Manoj Adhikari batted cautiously, scoring first run of bat in the fifth over. When Darpa (15) was caught by Ismail Nadeem off Kaleem, Bhutan were at 39 runs in 13.2 overs.
Six balls later, Adhikari (13) was given LBW off Kaleem. The inexperienced Bhutanese lineup then tried to score quickly and lost wickets at regular intervals. They however survived all their overs and ended at 78/9.
Maldives are upbeat with the win and hoping to avenge Nepal for two crushing defeats of last year.
"We are better prepared this time and hope to defeat Nepal badly so that Bhutan will reach the final," Maldives captain Kaleem said in the post-match press conference.
"We have to win tomorrow and take revenge, " Kaleem coolly said after praising ground staffs for working hard to prepare playable ground. On Friday, defending champions Nepal will have to defeat Maldives, or lose with fewer runs than Bhutan, to reach the Sunday’s final.Posted on: 2003-09-25 11:58
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