Malaysia Tri-Nation T20I 2025: Bahrain create unwanted history with shocking super over collapse

The world of cricket is expanding across the Asian subcontinent, where some incredible matches are being witnessed between associate nations. One of the most thrilling low-scoring games occurred in the Malaysia Tri-Nation T20I series between Hong Kong and Bahrain, on (Friday) March 14. Notably, the match was played at the Bayuemas Oval, in Kuala Lumpur.

Hong Kong emerged victorious as the game went into a Super Over, with both teams finishing with a score of 129. Fans might have expected the Super Over to be as tight as the main game, but what followed was one of the most unexpected endings. Hong Kong off-spinner Ehsan Khan took two consecutive wickets, resulting in Bahrain ending the Super Over without scoring a run.

In reply to the zero-run target in the Super Over, Hong Kong batter Babar Hayat also struggled to get going in the first two deliveries but eventually ended the game by taking a single off the last ball.

As a result, the Ahmer Nasir-led Bahrain side etched their name in the record books as they became the first team in T20Is to end a Super Over without scoring any runs. Notably, the previous lowest score in a Super Over was by Afghanistan, who scored one run against India in a T20I match on January 17, 2024.

Also Read: Hong Kong's Ayush Shukla bowls four maiden overs in T20I match, joins Lockie Ferguson and Saad Bin Zafar in elite list

Zero-run record in Super Over beyond T20Is

This was the first instance of a team not scoring a single run in a Super Over in T20I history. However, this was not the first time in T20 cricket that a team had failed to score. The first such incident occurred during the Champions League T20 in 2009, in a game between English club Sussex and South African club Eagles, which was another low-scoring game that ended in a tie, with both teams scoring 119.

For Sussex, all-rounder Yasir Arafat bowled the Super Over and conceded nine runs against the Eagles' batting duo of Rilee Rossouw and Ryan McLaren. CJ de Villiers bowled for the Eagles and claimed two wickets in consecutive balls, dismissing Dwayne Smith and Rory Hamilton-Brown, securing the victory for his team. This marked the first occurrence of a team failing to score in a Super Over in T20 cricket.