Saudi, Cambodia enter semi-finals of ACC Men's Challenger Cup

Opening batsman Faisal Khan’s 60-ball 77 (7x4s, 4x6s) helped Saudi Arabia beat Indonesia by 82 runs while wicketkeeper-opener Uday Singh Hathinjar’s 68 powered Cambodia to a 10-run win over Bhutan in Group A games on Monday (February 5, 2024) of the ACC Men’s Challenger Cup 2024 being played at TerdThai Cricket Ground in Bangkok.

The wins helped the Saudis top Group A and Cambodia end second in the same group. Both the teams have now qualified for the semi-finals after completing their league engagements.

The Saudis have won all three of their games – against Cambodia, Indonesia and Bhutan – to finish with six points while the Cambodians beat both Indonesia and Bhutan but lost to Saudi Arabia to end with four points.

On Tuesday (February 6), Singapore face Japan and Thailand play Maldives to decide the two semi-finalists from Group B.

In the match between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, the former made 185/4 in 20 overs with Faisal’s 77 leading the way. Left-arm pacer Gede Arta took 3/35 to emerge as the top wicket-taker for the Indonesians. In response, Indonesia could score only 103/9 in 20 overs. Dammam-born off-spinner Mohammed Hisham Shaikh took 3/16 for the Arab nation.

In the other match of the day, the south-east Asian nation Cambodia made 174/6 in 20 overs with Hathinjar hitting 68 and captain Lugman Butt scoring 42. In response, Bhutan finished with 164/6 in 20 overs. Skipper Thinley Jamtsho made unbeaten 66 off 34 balls.

Cricket, ACC, Asian Cricket Council, T20, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia