BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Captain Delray Rawlins delivered brilliantly with bat and ball as Bermuda thrashed hosts Argentina by 110 runs, while the Bahamas opened their campaign by edging Panama by four wickets on day two of the five-team 2024 ICC T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Qualifiers here Sunday.
Bermuda captain Delray Rawlins.Rawlins, the 25-year-old Sussex all-rounder who has replaced Kamau Leverock as captain, bludgeoned 67 not out from 25 balls after winning the toss as Bermuda piled up 220 for two from their 20 overs.
Opener Tre Manders top-scored with 74 from 41 balls and Rawlins found an able partner in Terryn Fray, who finished on 62 not from 48 deliveries.
Rawlins then claimed four for 11 with his left-arm spin as Argentina struggled to 110 for nine in reply at the Belgrano Athletic Club Ground, slumping to a second defeat after going down by 53 runs to Panama.
Medium-pacer Malachi Jones, 33, a survivor of Bermuda’s 2007 appearance in the 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean, provided solid support for Man-of-the-Match Rawlins by taking three for 23 as the Argentina innings fell apart after 44-year-old Alejandro Ferguson made a run-a-ball 32.
In the other game, Jonathan Barry, Kervon Hinds and Junior Scott all picked up two wickets to restrict Panama to 101 for nine from their 20 overs, after they chose to bat at the Hurlingham Club Ground.
The Bahamas captain Marc Taylor then set up his side’s run chase, hitting three sixes and six fours in a 32-ball 49, during a first-wicket stand of 65 with Narendra Ekanayake (19).
The innings wobbled, however, Rahul Ahir snapping up three for 14 as six wickets went down for 33 runs but the Bahamas edged home with nine balls to spare.
The top three teams will join Canada for the Americas Region Qualifier Finals in Bermuda in September, with the winner of that tournament clinching the last T20 World Cup qualifying spot in the region.
Next year’s edition will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States.
