The senior men’s Maldives National Squad participated in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup Asia A Qualifiers in Qatar from 23rd to 30th October 2021.
After 3 days of COVID isolation and various protocols, the team faced group matches against Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
The first match for the Maldives was against Saudi Arabia on Saturday 23rd October. The team departed Maldives on 19th October and arrived safely in Qatar in the early evening.
Qatar Cricket Association hosted all the matches in the tournament and events such as this serve to promote and develop the game not just in Qatar but within the region as a whole.
Whist providing a platform for the development of Cricket and tremendous opportunity for Associate Nations to reach the main event and put themselves on the Cricketing map, it also allows us a unique opportunity to continue building relationships, developing role models, and generating social partnerships within the Cricketing fraternity.
The Cricket Board of Maldives wishes to thank the ICC Officials for this opportunity and support provided to ourselves, the respective boards of the participating nations, and the Qatar Cricket Officials, members and cricketing community that have all come together to make this tournament happen.
Fixture List
23.10.21 Maldives v Saudi Arabia MATCH REPORT
24.10.21 Maldives v Qatar MATCH REPORT
27.10.21 Maldives v Bahrain MATCH REPORT
28.10.21 Maldives v Kuwait (11am Maldives time) MATCH REPORT
ESPNcricinfo Scorecards and Stats
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Qatar (21) enter the event as the highest ranked on the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, with Kuwait (27), Saudi Arabia (28), Bahrain (43) and Maldives (74) all aiming to qualify for the T20 World Cup for the first time.
In all, there will be 10 matches streamed across the event with each team to play each other once in the round-robin format. The live streaming arrangement between IMG Arena and ICC will be produced by CricClubs, with each match available to view live on FanCode in the Indian sub-continent and on ICC.tv in the rest of the world. Click here to sign up.
The event will also complete the Asia regional finals with Nepal, Singapore, UAE, Hong Kong and The Philippines already through to the Global Qualifier.
Qatar captain, Iqbal Hussain Chaudhry, said: “It’s a great feeling, we are all pumped up and working hard for the event. We know it’s a big tournament and we’ve been through this stage before. The last time we played Asia qualifiers we beat higher ranked teams but one mishap and we didn’t make it into the Global Qualifiers. We are glad that we are hosting a major ICC tournament in Qatar, which is the path to Australia 2022 and we will put up a good show for our nation and cricket lovers over the globe.”
Bahrain captain, Anasim Khan said: “The ICC Mens T20 World Cup Asia is a big opportunity for Bahrain and all teams to play at the top level. It will be a dream come true to play in Australia next year. It is a once in a life-time opportunity to earn a place in a historic World Cup qualifying round. We are a team which can bring surprises.”
Saudi Arabia captain, Abdul Waheed said: “It is an absolute honour to represent Saudi Arabia in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia A Qualifier. To play in a World Cup is a dream of every cricketer, however we are focused on the forthcoming tournament. We have come a long way in recent years and to realise our dreams we need to take one step at a time and keep moving. We know that it will be an intense competition as other participating teams are good. Nevertheless, we have prepared well and the boys are excited to give their best.”
Kuwait captain, Mohammed Nawaf Mohammed Aslam said: “It feels absolutely brilliant to be captaining the Kuwait side on such a big stage and to play competitive cricket with neighbouring countries, who are all fighting for that one prestigious and most valuable spot. We know its a tough road ahead but we are preparing hard for that. We have to win all the matches and tournaments we participate in under the ICC in order to come up the rankings and achieve the goal of being in the top 15 teams in the world.”
Maldives captain, Mohamed Mahfooz said: “I am very excited and eager to show the cricketing community the talent of Maldivian cricketers. I believe this small nation is ready to upset the big teams in this competition. We did what we could control to prepare. We had online fitness sessions and once restrictions eased we started outdoor fitness sessions and indoors practices. We kept the players minds always in the game until we were able to get back on the ground.”
Maldives Senior Men’s Squad – October 2021
Mohamed MahafoozCaptainRight up there with the most experienced players in Maldives history Mahafooz (Mahey) brings a level of composure that is rare in the modern game. Swift fielding, a deceptive left arm that has plenty of variations and a determination to win from the front - a natural leader and performer.
Yoosuf Azyan FaruhathVice CaptainBorn with a bat in hand, Azyan is made from willow and comes alive when he's in the middle of the park. Promoted to Vice Captain, it looks like he is the next-in-line for the top job. With skills and 6 years playing at the top, this young man can go as far as he is determined to in cricket.
Ahmed HassanAll RounderMoring, noon and night, Ahmed is ready for cricket. Picking up the sport through the school junior programmes, he has risen through all the national level age-groups and is poised to deliver his biggest dream of getting the Maldives cricket team to a world cup. With a huge shot-selection catalogue at his disposal and off-spin up his sleeve, can the man from Gerevi make an impact this time?Leem ShafeeqBowlerFollowing in his fathers strides, Leem generates a surprising amount of pace and bounce from slamming that front foot into the crease and using his leg as a huge lever. Wise beyond his age, Leem has worked out how to take wickets match after match regardless of the opposition.Hassan IbrahimBowlerHassan has played Grade cricket in Australia and tournament cricket in Malaysia. A pacey, front on action has seen Hassan snatch key wickets and keep the best of batsmen unable to play their natural game. Hassan is a reliable middle order batsman when, on his day, can embarrass the best of bowlers with a range of powerful shots.Adam Nasif UmarAll RounderA multi-talented cricketer with bat, ball, and on the field, Adam has worked hard at all aspects of the game as he aims to achieve his personal goals within cricket. Bowling off-break at speed and from a height guarantees to ask questions of any batsman. With a fiery personality and plenty to say if he's not focus of attention, this could be the year he focusses on the 'next ball' only!Janaka MalindaBowlerMalinda is talented all-rounder and super quick between the sticks. A master at unsettling the fielding side with fast runs exchanging the strike. Arriving at the bowling crease with plenty of variations, Malinda could be a key player if Maldives are to snatch a victory in this years competition.Ahmed NeeshamCoachA former national team member of the successful regional tournaments 2005, 2006 and 2010. This all-rounder produced match winning performances again and again for club and country. Now, he is charged with empowering the national team with the same self-belief, hunger to improve and win as he had.Ismail NihadManager'Imma' is the mist passionate man around Maldives - whatever he's doing, wherever he is, it will be done with detail and sheer determination. Everyones favourite bowler of years past, Imma will be keeping the squad on the straight and narrow with some cool advice when it's needed.Soodh JaufaruPhysiotherapistSoodh brings his professionalism to the squad as the 'cut-man', 'doc', 'masseuse', 'psychologist' and much more. This is his first trip with the team and is eager to be at service. A much valued and appreciated member by players and officials, Soodh will be busy from start to finish.
