Malaysia vs Bahrain, Hong Kong Quadrangular Series 2023, Today Match Prediction 09 March 2023

mal vs bhr Match Prediction & Analysis

The Hong Kong Quadrangular series kicked off with Kuwait taking on Malaysia and the hosts playing Bahrain on day 1 of the series. The very next day, all four teams will be on the ground once again. Malaysia will take on Bahrain in the first game of the day at the Mission Road Ground, Mong Kok.

Bahrain came to this series with 3 wins from their last 5 outings. These wins had come against Malaysia, Singapore, and Qatar. After Malaysia chased down 163 runs against Kuwait, Bahrain failed to chase an even lower target later in the day on the same ground.

The middle order of Sohail Ahmed, Haider Butt, and Ahmer Nasir have been among the match-winning players for Bahrain. Their form will be crucial for Bahrain as they look for their first win of this series.

Malaysia’s Virandeep Singh led the run-chase with an unbeaten fifty while Syed Aziz Mubarak made some quick runs at number 4. Their bowlers have the ability to hit the long ball and that’s what they did in their win over Kuwait.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Malaysia Preview

First, it was the brilliant bowling spells from Vijay Unni and Fitri Sham that put Kuwait on the back foot. And then, the two also made quick contributions with the bat to take Malaysia across the line. 

A 3-wicket win over Kuwait has given Malaysia the right start in this series. They would expect, however, that the batters in the middle order including skipper Faiz would make a comeback.

Ahmad Faiz was out for just 10 off 17 balls which wasn’t helpful in the run chase. The captain’s best score in T20Is came against Bahrain in December 2022 when he scored 86 off 50 at number 3 taking the total to 223 runs.

They bowled out Bahrain for 80 runs while defending such a massive total in that game. The openers are also known for their impressive strike rates and Zubaidi Zulkifle will be hoping to find his touch in this match.

Syed Aziz Mubarak, the wicket-keeper batter is another such player known for his quick-scoring abilities and he showed just what he’s capable of in their recent win over Kuwait.

He scored 30 off 13 balls at number 4 to keep Malaysia afloat in the run chase. Vijay Unni and Fitri Sham shined with the ball in the last game and given the pitch conditions, they might be under the spotlight once again.

Malaysia Predicted Playing XI:

Ahmad Faiz (c), Virandeep Singh, Syed Aziz Mubarak (wk), Sharvin Muniandy, Zubaidi Zulkifle, Muhammad Amir Azim, Fitri Sham, Muhammad Wafiq, Rizwan Haider, Vijay Unni, Mohamed Arief

Bahrain Preview

Chasing a target of 154 against Hong Kong, Bahrain got off to a flying start having scored 59 runs in the first 6 Overs.  If it wasn’t for wickets that fell regularly in their innings, Bahrain would have ended up as the winning side.

While Prashant Kurup wasn’t part of the XI for the game, there were others who had been the architects of Bahrain’s last win over Malaysia. Sohail Ahmed, Haider Butt, and Ahmer Nasir are the key batsmen in this lineup and their failure to rise to the occasion cost Bahrain the match.

It needs to be seen whether Bahrain continue playing Shahbaz Badar at the top or bring back Prashant Kurup who’s got a slightly better strike rate. Imran Anwar played a quick-fire knock at number 3 scoring 29 off 15 balls and if he manages to continue his rhythm, could make a big difference against Malaysia.

Anwar hasn’t found great success previously and couldn’t make a mark against Malaysia in their previous encounters. Skipper Sarfaraz Ali will lead the bowling attack for Bahrain.

He has been the star bowler for the side and one of the major contributors to their wins. Batting all-rounders Imran Anwar and Rizwan Butt are other key players to watch out for in this bowling attack.

Bahrain Predicted Playing XI:

Sarfaraz Ali (c), Sohail Ahmed, Haider Butt, Rizwan Butt, Ali Dawood, Sathaiya Veerapathiran, Imran Anwar, Shahbaz Badar (wk), Junaid Aziz, Ahmer Nasir, Abdul Majid Abbasi

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch seems to have something for everyone. The batters have managed to hit the long ball and score at fast rates but failed to convert their good starts. It will be an even contest between bat and ball on this surface. The weather will be mostly sunny with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok will be the venue for this and every game of this Quadrangular series. The highest score on this ground belongs to Malaysia when they scored 163 runs in the last match. A 170-175 run total seems like a competitive score for the team batting first on this ground.

Toss: To Bowl

There have been only 4 T20Is played here and the team bowling first has won two of them. Both teams have played each other on three occasions previously and are well aware of each other’s abilities. Having already opted to bowl first in their respective opening games, Malaysia and Bahrain are likely to do so again in this match.