Thailand set benchmark ahead of T20 World Cup Qualifier as UAE’s winning streak ends

National team fall to five-wicket loss in opening game of T20 Quadrangular in Dubai

UAE's Kavisha Kumari Egodage batting against Thailand in their T20 Quadrangular tournament match at Dubai Sports City on September 10, 2022. All pictures Ruel Pableo for The National

Kavisha Kumari Egodage and Khushi Sharma in action against Thailand.

Chaya Mughal at the crease.

Thailand celebrate at Dubai Sports City.

Kavisha Kumari Egodage bats against Thailand.

Thailand's Chanida Sutthiruang bowls in Dubai.

Thailand team celebrate.

Theertha Satish bats for UAE.

The UAE’s record unbeaten run came to an end as they lost to Thailand in the first match of a the T20 Quadrangular tournament in Dubai.

The national women’s team had been on a run of 20 matches without defeat stretching back to November last year.

The sequence included 18 wins, which is one short of the world record held by England’s women, as well as two matches which were washed out after starting, and thus had no result.

Coincidentally, their last defeat came against the same opposition, three and a half years ago in Bangkok.

This fixture, which Thailand won by five wickets at the ICC Academy, was their first in a warm-up series ahead of the more important business of the T20 World Cup Qualifier.

That event, which takes place in Abu Dhabi from Sunday September 18 to Sunday September 25, carries with it two places for the main event in South Africa next year.

Thailand v UAE will also be the opening encounter of that eight-team tournament.

Despite the loss, the home team will have been encouraged by the challenge they presented the Thai side this time around.

The last time the sides met, Thailand had outplayed the UAE to the tune of a 50-run win.

In the UAE’s winning run in the intervening time, all their victories had come against sides who are lower than the national team in the rankings.

Thailand, though, are ranked 10th in the world in the ICC T20I standings, four places above the UAE, and have been one of the great success stories of the sport in recent times.

With that in mind, the UAE went into the game in Dubai aware this would be a chance to measure the progress they have made.

They started brightly, with Theertha Satish racing to 25 in 15 balls, including a glorious six over the midwicket boundary.

Her dismissal, attempting the same thing in the same over, brought with it a collapse in the UAE batting.

Kavisha Kumari anchored the innings so the hosts made it to 20 overs, reaching 105 for eight, top scoring with 35.

It took a fine knock from Natthakan Chantham, the outstanding Thai opener who finished not out on 49 from 45 balls, to see the tourists through to the win.

UAE face Zimbabwe next on Monday. The Zimbabweans beat United States by five wickets in the first match of the day on Saturday.