ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Play-Off 2024 Points Table: Updated standings after Italy vs Kuwait, Match 9

The seventh, eighth, and ninth matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Play-off were played on Sunday, February 25. The first game of the day was the Group A encounter between Saudi Arabia and Bermuda, with the latter registering their first win of the tournament after beating Saudi Arabia by four runs.

Despite the win, Bermuda are still languishing at the bottom with two points in two matches. Saudi Arabia moved down to third spot after the loss. They now have a solitary win in three matches, and overall, two points.

Kuwait registered a massive 130-run win over Italy in the third game of the day. Despite the loss, Italy are still sitting at the top of Group A points tally. They have accumulated two wins in three games and, overall, four points.

Here’s a look at the updated Group A standings:

Ranks	Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	PTS	NRR
1	Italy	3	2	1	0	0	4	0.574
2	Kuwait	2	1	1	0	0	2	0.33
3	Saudi Arabia	3	1	2	0	0	2	0.298
4	Bermuda	2	1	1	0	0	2	-1.53

Kuwait jumped to the second spot with a solitary win to their name in two games. They too have two points but have a superior net run rate of 0.330.

In the second match, earlier today, Malaysia beat Tanzania by one wicket in what was a nail-biting encounter. With that victory, they registered their first win and took themselves to third on the Group B points tally. On the other hand, Tanzania suffered their first defeat in the tournament and moved to second on the table with a solitary win in two matches.

Here’s a look at the updated Group B standings:

Ranks	Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	PTS	NRR
1	Bahrain	2	2	0	0	0	4	1.27
2	Tanzania	2	1	1	0	0	2	0.75
3	Malaysia	2	1	1	0	0	2	-0.16
4	Vanuata	2	0	2	0	0	0	-1.86

Bahrain are comfortably sitting at the top of the tally with two wins in two matches. Vanuatu are languishing at the bottom, having lost both the games played so far.

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Bermuda earns their first win; Malaysia beat Tanzania in last-over thriller

The seventh match of the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Play-off was played between Bermuda and Saudi Arabia. Bermuda skipper Delray Rawlins played an outstanding knock of 75 runs in 95 balls to propel the team to a 227-run total in the first innings.

As for Saudi Arabia’s bowling, Usman Najeeb and Zain Ul Abidin both picked up three wickets each. Saudi Arabia kept themselves in the hunt for the most part of the chase despite losing wickets regularly.

Skipper Hisham Shaikh played a handy knock of 45 off 78, while Waji Ul Hassan scored 41 off 55. Usman Khalif (33) also made a vital contribution but all three batters got out at crucial intervals in the game.

The match went down to the wire with seven runs needed off the final over. Ishtiaq Ahmad remained unbeaten on 18 off 23 but failed to guide the team home as Saudi Arabia fell four runs short of the target.

The Group B encounter in Bangi was a last-ball thriller between Malaysia and Tanzania. Batting first, Tanzania managed to score 247 for the loss of nine wickets.

Pretty much all the batters chipped in with handy contributions. Mohamed Issa top-scored with 43 off 43 balls, while Kassim Nassoro (39) and Salum Jumbe (38) gave good support.

Speaking of Malaysia’s bowling, Pavandeep Sigh and Muhammad Wafiq did the bulk of the damage, picking up three wickets each. Malaysia kept scoring runs at a good pace while chasing despite wickets falling at regular intervals.

Sharvin Muniandy (48) and Ahmad Faiz (53) played impressive knocks under pressure, while the contributions kept coming from lower-order as well.

Needing 14 runs from the final over, Ainool Hafizs scored a six off the first ball, while Muhammad Wafiq hit a four on the final ball to seal the deal for Malaysia.

The ninth match was played between Kuwait and Italy in Kuala Lumpur. Kuwait batted first and posted a respectable score of 216 runs. Usman Patel (50 off 70) and Mohammad Amin (61) made valuable contributions with the bat.

Sayed Monib also played a handy knock of 38 runs in 24 balls in the latter phase to take his team to a par score. As for Italy, Gareth Berg was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets for 36 runs in 10 overs. The likes of Nimna Pauththuwadura and Nicholas Maiolo claimed two wickets each.

In response, Italy crumbled to 86 all-out. Not a single batter got going for the team as they were bundled out inside 25 overs. Grant Stewart top-scored with the bat, scoring 21 off 11 balls. Kuwait were nothing short of sensational with the ball. Mohamed Shafeeq and Yasin Patel returned with two wickets each, while Mohammed Aslam picked up two.