Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier: UAE, Nepal and Hong Kong advance to semifinals 

Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], September 4 (ANI): Matchday four at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier saw UAE book their place in the semi-final with a 69-run victory over Bahrain in a rain-hit game after smashing 142 for three in their first innings.
Nepal was the other team from Group A to seal a semifinal berth, chasing down a target of 75 against Bahrain with more than nine overs to spare. They will play the UAE on Wednesday to determine who tops the group and who faces the second-placed team from Group B in the semifinal.
In spite of a comprehensive eight-wicket win against Bhutan, hosts Malaysia are no longer in contention for a semi-final berth.
In Group B, Thailand reduced Kuwait to 22 for four in the tenth over before rain led to the teams sharing points. The result means that Hong Kong has qualified for the semi-finals. Thailand is the front-runner to join them. Their net run rate exceeds four, whereas Kuwait’s is in the negatives. In order to qualify for the semi-finals, Kuwait need to win their final game against Myanmar by a substantial margin and hope that Hong Kong beat Thailand comprehensively.
In a rain-hit 11-over-a-side fixture, China chased down 50 against Myanmar with more than four overs to spare.
In the match between Bahrain and UAE, Esha Oza hit five fours and a six in her unbeaten 78, putting on half-century stands with Theertha Satish and Kavisha Egodage.
After electing to bowl first, Bahrain skipper Deepika Rasangika bowled Pavithra Shetty and Sadamali Arachchige unchanged during the powerplay. Oza and Satish were up to the task, seeing out the first six overs, collecting 43 runs in the process. The next over would prove to be the most expensive of the innings as Swarna Nunna conceded a boundary to each of UAE’s two openers. Tharanga Gajanayake was the pick of Bahrain’s bowlers, dismissing both Satish and Egodage for 23 runs each.
Oza, however, continued unperturbed, smashing Rasangika over the ropes in the penultimate over on the way to the UAE setting Bahrain a commanding target of 143.
In reply, Bahrain initially kept the UAE’s bowlers at bay, scoring 17 runs in their first eight overs without losing a wicket. Vaishnave Mahesh, however, wreaked havoc in the ninth over, getting Gajanyake caught by Khushi Sharma before bowling fellow opener Abeera Ali and Ishara Suhun to reduce Bahrain to 19 for three.
Not for the first time in the tournament, Rasangika top-scored with 25. She remained unbeaten when rain came down in the 18th over. No further play was possible with Bahrain ruled to be 69 runs behind the DLS par score.
In the match between Nepal and Qatar, Indu Barma starred with bat and ball for Nepal. Her 3-10 helped Nepal restrict Qatar to 74 for seven before she hit an unbeaten 12-ball 20 to propel her team past the target in the 11th over.
After Qatar was put into bat, Khadija Imtiaz started positively, clipping Puja Mahato into the leg side for four. Mahato hit back off the next ball, trapping Imtiaz in front for 4. Aleena Khan and Saachi Dhadwal did well to guide their team to 23 in the eighth over before Khan was run out by a direct hit from Barma, who confined captain Aysha to the same fate with another accurate throw.
Dhadwal and Shrutiben Rana also fell in identical fashion to each other, getting trapped in front by none other than Barma to leave Qatar six down with three overs left. Angeline Mare scored two boundaries in an unbeaten 14 to help her side collect 17 runs of the last three overs, setting Nepal a target of 75.
Kajal Shrestha slapped Rochelle Quyn through the off side for four off the first ball of the innings before pulling Khan away for four in the next over. She’d go onto hit another two boundaries in an innings of 32, getting bowled by Sabeeja Panayan in the seventh over with the score on 47.
Yet, this proved to be a little too late for Qatar who was once again thwarted by eventual Player of the Match Barma. 
After Bhutan was put into bat, they lost Yeshey Choden for a duck in the first over. Ngawang Choden and Dechen Wangmo shared three boundaries in a 32-run partnership before Wangmo was bowled by Nur Dania Syuhada, who dismissed Ngawang Choden in similar fashion to restrict Bhutan to 36 for three after 12 overs.
As things turned out, Bhutan would not score another boundary in their innings, setting Malaysia a manageable target of 60.
Chasing three runs an over for victory, Malaysia were never in any real trouble. Ainna Hamizah and Winifred Duraisingam picked up a boundary a piece in the first four overs, pushing the score to 16 in the process. Tshering Zangmo was the pick of the bowlers, trapping both openers in front before Mahirah Izzati and Mas Elysa closed out the chase with unbeaten innings of 17 and 13, respectively.
The fourth game of the tournament between Thailand and Kuwait saw rain washed out the match. In spite of the game being washed out, Nattaya Boochatham picked up figures of 3-3 and became the first player from an associate nation to pick up 100 wickets in Women’s T20Is. She had Amna Tariq caught behind in the fourth over and doubled her wicket-tally when she trapped Zeefa Jilani in front. Priyada Murali was Boochatham’s next victim, getting bowled for 11.
Maryam Omar was run out right before rain washed out the rest of the contest. (ANI)