Gibraltar cricket beaten by Norway in 5th place play-off

Gibraltar finished their ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier B campaign with a 24-run defeat to Norway in the fifth-place play-off at Koge Cricket Club on Tuesday.
After Norway elected to bat, they posted an imposing 199 for 1 from their 20 overs, with Saif-Ul Islam producing a superb unbeaten 91 from 63 deliveries to earn the Player of the Match award. Chasing 200 for victory, Gibraltar made a positive start and kept themselves in contention for much of the innings before eventually finishing on 175 for 6.
Anthony Hillman and Louis Bruce gave Gibraltar early momentum, with Hillman striking 17 from 11 balls before he was caught by Wahidullah Sahak off Vinay Ravi. Bruce then took centre stage, dominating the Norway attack with a fluent half-century. The opener reached his fifty from just 31 deliveries, hitting a six and a succession of boundaries as Gibraltar raced to 100 for 2 after only 10.1 overs.
Kayron Stagno also made an important contribution, scoring 21 from 16 balls, including a six and a four, before falling to Muhammad Butt. Bruce's innings eventually ended on 53 from 35 balls when he was bowled by Hayatullah Niazi, leaving Gibraltar needing to rebuild during the middle overs.
Chris Pyle kept Gibraltar's hopes alive with an aggressive knock of 37 from just 23 deliveries. He struck five boundaries and helped the run chase move beyond 150 before he was caught by Hayatullah Niazi off Farmanullah Ghari. Iain Latin added seven before being dismissed, while captain Kieron Ferrary provided a late flourish with 16 from 11 balls, including two boundaries, before he too was bowled by Ghari in the closing overs.
Kabir Mirpuri remained unbeaten at the end as Gibraltar closed on 175 for 6, falling 24 runs short of their target.
Although Gibraltar produced another strong batting display, with three batters passing 35 and the team reaching 175, Norway's impressive total of 199 for 1 ultimately proved beyond reach as Gibraltar concluded the tournament with a sixth-place finish.