In cricket action at Gelephu, the Bhutanese men’s team secured their first international win on home soil, defeating the Maldives by four wickets today in the Bhutan T20 International Quadrangular Series. This victory comes as a major relief for the Bhutanese side, following their loss to Thailand in the series opener yesterday.
Bhutan won the toss again, as they did in the opening match, and opted to bowl first.
This time, the Bhutanese bowlers delivered. Both Tenzin Wangchuk and Karma Dorji kept it simple, giving the Maldivian batters little room to capitalise.
Karma Dorji got Bhutan’s first wicket in the third over. While wickets were hard to come by in the Gelephu heat, the Maldives batters also struggled to accelerate their scoring.
Captain Yoosuf Azyan Farhath led his side with a steady 58 off nearly as many balls, guiding them to a respectable total of 113 before falling to Jigme Singye.
Chasing a target of 114 appeared straightforward, but Bhutan found themselves under pressure after losing early wickets.
At this crucial moment, Captain Thinley Jamtsho rose to the occasion, steadying the innings.
He played a composed knock, settling in before dispatching any loose deliveries.
However, wickets continued to fall at the other end, putting Bhutan’s run chase in jeopardy.
In the end, Thinley Jamtsho and Tenzin Wangchuk built a crucial 55-run partnership, guiding Bhutan to victory.
Thinley Jamtsho scored 49, while Tenzin Wangchuk contributed a vital 21 runs. Thinley was named the player of the match.
“It’s a dream come true for me and the players. Playing on our soil and winning, though we could not win in the first match but then we came back and won against Maldives. I played a very safe game and made sure that we took the game very deep so that we could win it.”
He added that the team will now aim to secure a win against Indonesia.
“We would want to win. We can’t take Indonesia lightly. On their day, they are a good team. They can choke us so; we will be on our toes. We must win the game.”
The teams will have a rest day tomorrow before the series resumes on Tuesday for the final round of league matches.
Sherub Dorji
