Qatar captain Inam-ul-Haq (right) led the team from the front against Kuwait.
Doha: Captain Inam-ul-Haq displayed an all-rounder performance as Qatar registered their first victory at the ICC World Twenty20 Asia Region Qualifier A, thrashing hosts Kuwait by 26 runs in Kuwait City yesterday.
After suffering a six-wicket defeat against the UAE in their opening match, Qatar bounced back strongly with a commendable show against in-form Kuwait, coached by former South African star Herschelle Gibbs.
Batting first, the Al Anabi posted a handsome target of 167-6 in 20 overs and restricted the hosts to 141-9 to open their account in the six-nation tournament.
“It’s a very good victory because it wasn’t an easy game,” team’s wicketkeeper Rizlan Iqbar told The Peninsula after the win. “Our captain performed brilliantly and it’s always especial to have such a performance from a skipper.
“Kuwait are the hosts and a re in good form and beating them will help us gain confidence.
“The team’s performance was also not bad against the UAE. We look forward to win our remaining games to achieve our goal of advancing in the Qualifier,” he added.
Qatar enjoyed a decent start after captain Inam elected to bat first with openers Faisal Javaid Khan and Muhammad Tanveer scoring 52 runs for the opening wicket in just five overs.
Faisal was in phenomenal form as he smashed six boundaries and three sixes for his 48 runs from just 23 balls.
Inam then chipped in with a useful 24-run knock before Kamran Khan fired a swashbuckling 49 runs from only 28 deliveries to guide Qatar to a good total. The middle-order batsman hit five towering sixes during his fiery knock.
Defending their total, Qatar did well to defy an impressive batting performance by Kuwait opener Usman Waheed, who hit 66 runs from only 36 balls before Inam grabbed his coveted wicket. The Qatar captain went on to take three more wickets for figures of 4-22 from his four overs to ensure Qatar’s first win in the tournament. He was later named Man-of-the-Match.
Iqbal Hussain claimed two wickets while Awais Malik and Mohammad Nadeem also took one wicket apiece for Qatar. Apart from Waheed, Mohammad Naseer (21) and Abid Mushtaq (17) were the other notable scorers for the home side.
Qatar rose to third in the points standings following the victory, UAE are on top followed by Kuwait. Saudi Arabia are on fourth position.
Coached by Simon Gough, Qatar will take on Maldives in their next match tomorrow while they are also scheduled to meet Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on April 24 and April 26 respectively. The top three teams of the tournament will advance to the next stage of the ICC Qualifier.
Meanwhile, in other matches yesterday, UAE defeated Saudi Arabia by 7 wickets while Bahrain gained full points with a six-wicket win over Maldives.
