The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Bhutan National Cricket Team secured a remarkable victory against Myanmar, by a margin of 30 runs at the ICC 2024 T20 World Cup Asia Regional ‘B’ qualifiers in Malaysia during the opening match on 26July.
Bhutan won by 31 runs against Myanmar. Bhutan won the toss and elected to bat first.
Tashi Phuentsho who is 22 years of age, bagged the player of the match on that day against Myanmar. He took two wickets and added 11 runs from the bat.
Tashi Phuentsho shared that it was his first time receiving the international award and he feels privileged to be elected as the player of the match by ICC.
Similarly, Team Captain Suprit Pradhan said it is always good that batsmen should apply themselves in the middle and keep scoring runs.
On 27 July, the team faced Malaysia at Bayuemas Oval in its second match. Bhutan won the toss and opted to field first. Bhutan managed to score 105/8 in 20 overs, but Malaysia won by 75 runs.
“I am delighted with the boys’ performance, as they have demonstrated exceptional skills on the field. I am particularly pleased with the way they applied themselves during the battle against a team ranked 25th in the world,” Team Captain Suprit Pradhan said.
On 30th July, there was a match between Bhutan and China at Bayuemas Oval. On the same day, there was a match between Malaysia and Myanmar.
Bhutan won against China by 95 runs. Suprit Pradhan was awarded the player of the match.
In a remarkable achievement, two Bhutanese openers secured their first T20i half-centuries against China, marking a significant milestone for their team.
Suprit Pradhan led the way with an impressive 59 off 42 balls, while the young sixteen-year-old Tenzin Rabgay reached his century, scoring 50 off 47 balls.
On 31July, the fourth game was between Bhutan and Thailand, and Myanmar and China at Bayuemas Oval.
Thailand won the toss and elected to field first. Thailand won by 8 wickets.
Tenzin Rabgay said, “I am very happy that I could reach up to this level through this game, I get to learn a lot things about the game observing how they play with batting style. About batting, all we need is to stay mentally strong without that there is a high chance of getting out. I want to thank my captain because of his support, I could build a good partnership in the game.”
On August 3, the team arrived back to home.
Coach Ugyen Dorji said, “We require investment for the players’ development, in the sense we require financial support. If we have enough funds then we could have practiced more for this game. Our opponents, as I found, have been practicing for the whole year for this game. We have practiced for only a few months. That makes a huge difference. However, our team has played more than we expected.”
The wins against Myanmar and China have boosted their determination. Bhutan is currently ranked 59th in the World T20 international ranking.
