A skipper’s knock by Navneet Dhaliwal and a career-best T20I spell by Harsh Thaker steered Canada to victory. Dhaliwal’s unbeaten 54 off 27 was laced with 3 fours and 4 sixes, as Canada achieved victory with 5.3 overs remaining.
Having restricted Bahrain to 131/8, Canada’s Rayyan Pathan and wicketkeeper Shreyas Movva steadied the ship after Matthew Spoors fell early. Pathan looked in ominous form during his 26-ball 38 but was dismissed in the eight over. Movva and Dhaliwal paced their innings without taking risks before the eventful 14th over. Bowling his second over, leg-spinner Junaid Aziz’s broke the partnership when Movva was caught by George Axtell off the third ball for 32. A wide ball was followed by a single by Hamza Tariq.
Dhaliwal’s blitz fetched Canada 19 with 3 sixes, including a no ball, to leave them needing just 8 off 36
balls. The skipper struck another mighty maximum to wrap up the win.
Thaker had produced a magical spell of 4-20 to deny Bahrain a big total. The right-arm off-spinner
triggered a middle-order collapse to restrict Bahrain to 131/8. David Mathias and Haider Butt came together with
the team in trouble at 31/3 inside the Powerplay overs.
Openers Muhammad Younis and captain Sarfaraz Ali were sent back to the pavilion by Canada’s left-arm
quicks Kaleem Sana and Rishiv Joshi. First change bowler, Saad Zafar, met with immediate
success in the fifth over. The left-arm orthodox bowler got rid of Shahbaz Badar with a well-taken
return catch.
Mathias and Butt arrested the slide as they stitched a partnership of 44 in 7.3 overs. Thaker got the
breakthrough off the first ball in his opening over. Mathias was caught and bowled by Thaker for 30 off
32.
The 24-year old Thaker had the batters in a knot as he claimed the wicket of Butt in his next over.
Sikder Billah’s 21-ball 33, which saw him strike 4 fours and a six, helped Bahrain to push the score in
the death after they were reduced to 96/5. Thaker ended Billah’s entertaining knock to grab his fourth
wicket.