Maldives begins with a win
Maldives win the first match of the SAARC Twenty20 Cup beating Bhutan by 6 runs. Maldives captain Shafraz Jaleel won the toss on a bright sunny morning in the newly constructed Ahmed Ali Didi Cricket Ground in Fuvahmulah. Shafraz decided to send in the Bhutanese team to bat, hoping that the newly laid artificial wicket would throw up a few surprises early in the morning. He was rewarded early as Bhutan lost their first wicket for 22 runs. Manoj Adhikari was caught by Shafraz off the bowling of Ahmed Umar who went on to take 4 wickets for the young Maldivian side. After some stability Bhutan lost their second wicket for 67 runs. Thinley Jamtsho batted with authority making 45 for 28 runs before being stumped by Shafraz Jaleel off the bowling of Mihusan Hamid. The Bhutanese team collapsed after their good start loosing quicks wickets in the 90s. Ahmed Umar was the strike bowler taking 4 wickets for 20 runs in his 4 overs. Ace spinner Mohamed Mahafooz took 3 wickets for 23 runs.
In reply, Maldives paid the price for starting too eagerly loosing three early wickets; Mohamed Rishwan (0), Shafraz Jaleel (3) and Mihusan Hamid (3). However, two good partnerships, first between Hassan Hazig and Muaviath Anwar and secondly between Muaviath A. Ghanee and Mohamed Azzam took the Maldivian team over the target line with 4 overs to spare. Muaviath, the man of the match, made an unbeated 49 runs and Azzam made 20 run.
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Read MoreNew schedule announced for the SAARC Twenty20 Cup
The Cricket Board of Maldives has announced the new schedule for the SAARC Twenty20 Cup. The tournament has been rescheduled as Bangladesh was unable to send a team to the tournament. The tournament which was schedule to begin on 31 October will now begin on 1 November with hosts Maldives taking on Bhutan.
Pakistan team arrives in Maldives
The Pakistan team for the SAARC Twenty2o Cup arrived in Maldives team today. They are the first team to travel to Maldives for the tournament. The team consists of 14 players and three officials.
The Nation online reported that Coach Sabih Azhar was upbeat before travelling to Maldives. According to The Nation Pakistan Coach Sabih Azhar said that the Under-25 cricket tournament had been playing after a long time and that it was a good chance for youngsters to exhibit their prowess during the event and get place in the national team by performing well. He further added that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had chosen a well-balanced team for the event as all the players were very talented. He said that the team was a combination of experienced and talented young players who performed well in the recently held National Twenty20 and also had very good domestic record. He said that it was a big tournament and that they will take it seriously and adopt professional approach in winning the event. He said that he was hopeful Pakistan team will not only qualify for the final but also get success in winning the event. (The nation)
Teams start to arrive on 28 October
Teams are set to start arriving on 28 October for the SAARC Twenty20 Cup. The first team to arrive will be Pakistan. The team is scheduled to touch down in Maldives on 28 October. The Indian Karnataka Institute of Cricket Team arrives a day later on the 29 October. Nepal is also scheduled to arrive on the 29 of October. Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will arrive on 30 October. The last to arrive in Maldives will be the Bhutanese team, who will arrive on 30 October night.
The teams will be officially welcomed at Gan International Airport in Addu City. The teams will be flown to Gan by Maldivian as they arrive.
The SAARC Twenty20 Cup is an initiative of the Maldives Government to coincide with the 17 SAARC Summit in Maldives in early November. Under 25 teams from 7 SAARC countries are taking part in the tournament organised by the Cricket Board of Maldives. The tournament takes place in the newly built Fuvahmulah cricket ground.
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SAARC Twenty20 Cup Draw Held
President Nasheed Speaking at the Ceremony
The official draw of the SAARC Twenty20 Cup was held in Male’ on 20 October, in a glittering ceremony attended by His Excellency President Mohamed Nasheed, senior Government officials, officials of foreign missions in Maldives, Cricket Board officials, players and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the ceremony President Mohamed Nasheed said that the SAARC Under 25 Cricket Tournament to be held in Fuvahmulah Maldives, would showcase the brightest young talents of South Asian cricket and commended the hard work of the Cricket Board of Maldives, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SAARC Taskforce and other contributing parties to make the event a success.
Hosts Maldives was drawn together with Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh in Group A. Group B comprises of Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Pakistan.
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka has nominated their U25 teams for the tournament. Maldives will be represented by their U25 team as well.
Maldives Cricket revealed that a team from Karnataka Institute of Cricket has been invited by the Maldives Foreign Ministry to represent India. A board official told maldivescricket.org that the BCCI was unable to send an U25 team to the tournament due to other commitments. However, as it is a SAARC Summit sideline event, the Maldives government wanted all SAARC member states to be represented in the tournament in some capacity. Maldives Cricket also revealed that Bangladesh Cricket Board had a similar problem due to tour commitments by their national side and A team and the ongoing first class cricket. As such the Maldives government is trying to find a representative team from Bangladesh for the tournament.
Groups and tentative schedule
Group 2
(A) Maldives
(B) Bhutan
(C) Afghanistan
(D) Bangladesh
Group 2
(E) Sri Lanka
(F) Nepal
(G) India (KIC)
(H) Pakistan
Tentative Schedule
31 Oct Maldives vs Bhutan / Sri Lanka vs Nepal
1 Nov Afghanistan vs Bangladesh / India (KIC) vs Pakistan
2 Nov Sri Lanka vs India / Maldives vs Afghanistan
3 Nov Nepal vs Pakistan / Bhutan vs Bangladesh
4 Nov Maldives vs Bangladesh / Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
5 Nov Bhutan vs Afghanistan / Nepal vs India
6 Nov Group 1 winners vs Group 2 Runners-up / Group 2 winners vs Group 1 Runners-up
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