Malawi Cricket National Team on Sunday lost by 37 runs to Germany in Quad Nations T20 Cup third-placed play-off despite a bold display in front of a home crowd at TCA Oval in Blantyre.
The match preceded the final that saw Tanzania emerging eventual champions with a 10-wicket victory over Bahrain.
In the third place play-off, Germany won the toss and batted first to rake in 219/7, including Musadiq Ahmed’s century (107) in 20 overs. Malawi fought hard to chase down the target but they could only reach up to 182/7.
Batsmen Salim Nihute and Aaftab Limdawala kept Malawi’s hopes alive with half centuries but their individual brilliance proved not enough to frustrate the Germany side that sealed victory following some excellent bowling performance by Shahid Afridi, who registered a hat-trick.
“Malawi began strongly with Salim Nihute’s powerful 56 off 33 balls, his maiden T20 International career half-century, but the match swung decisively in Germany’s favour when veteran pacer Afridi delivered a stunning hat-trick in the 18th over, dismissing three crucial batsmen in successive deliveries,” wrote the tournament’s media manager Innocent Ndawula in a press release on Sunday.
“This was the third hat-trick of the tournament. Afridi’s match-changing spell, which yielded three wickets, combined with tight bowling from Sajid Liaqat [2/19] and Fayaz Khan Nasseri [1/24] triggered Malawi’s batting collapse. They eventually finished on 182 for seven, falling 37 runs short of the target.”
In the final, Tanzania won the toss and elected to field first, delivering a clinical and ruthless bowling performance to bundle out Bahrain for a mere 89 runs in 19 overs.
Bahrain’s star batters and unpredictable weather did nothing to deter the Tanzanian bowlers, who set the tone with incisive strikes upfront.
“Pacer Salum Jumbe Ally was the star with the ball, devastating Bahrain’s top order by claiming three wickets for 18 runs in his four-over spell, including two early strikes in his very first over that left Bahrain reeling at 7 for 2,” Ndawula stated.
Cricket Malawi organised the tournament to honour fallen operations director Arjun Menon, who died a few weeks ago after allegedly being attacked by thugs at his residence in Nancholi Township, Blantyre.
