Belgrano Athletic Club Ground, Buenos Aires (Bermuda won toss): Bermuda (2pts) beat Bahamas (0) by 62 runs

Unbeaten Bermuda have reached the next stage of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup qualifying process with a game to spare after overcoming Bahamas at the Americas Sub-Regional Qualifier in Argentina yesterday.

Player of the match Tre Manders top scored with 82 from 52 balls and Dion Stovell, who shared in an 108-run partnership with Manders for the fourth wicket, was unbeaten with a career-best 49, while a last-over cameo of 19, off four balls by Zeko Burgess powered Bermuda to 179 for four in 20 overs.

Left-arm spinner Derrick Brangman picked up three wickets for 25, while seamer Jonté Smith (two for 16) and off spinner Dominic Sabir (two for 23) assisted as Bahamas were restricted to 116 for nine.

Bermuda top the standings with 13 points going into a shoot-out for the title with second-placed Cayman Islands this morning. One of Argentina or Bahamas will take the remaining slot.

Coach Cal Waldron was delighted by the team securing passage into the final phase of the qualifiers.

“It feels good that the mission has been accomplished,” Waldron told The Royal Gazette.

“Well done to the players that have come here and achieved the goal. Tomorrow is a big match against Cayman, who are behind us by one point, so we want to put on a good performance to end the tournament as outright winners.

“We know what our strengths are and we've prepared ourselves to go out and do better than we played against Bahamas.”

Manders expressed the team’s desire to finish the tournament undefeated, just as they did in the South American country last year.

“Last year we were unbeaten and we won the trophy, so I was telling the boys that this year we should try to do the same thing,’’ Manders, 29, said.

“We've been playing well and I think we deserve to take this cup back home.

“We should be dominating in these games, and I believe we are clicking and doing well in the tournament.”

After winning the toss and opting to make use of the track, captain Terryn Fray departed in Bermuda’s fifth over when he was trapped in front by Romaine Smith for 19.

There was a second successive duck for Onias Bascome, as the right-hander was given out leg-before to Marc Taylor after facing six balls. Alex Dore did not last long at the crease, either, as he was bowled by Festus Benn.

While wickets were tumbling at the other end, Manders, who could be seen holding his left hamstring in discomfort later in his innings, remained resolute on his way to a second half-century of the tournament. He feasted on bad balls from the Bahamas bowlers, with two huge sixes off Festus Benn’s second over, which resulted in the ball being replaced on both occasions.

“It feels like I tweaked my hamstring,” Manders said. “I’m going to the hotel to see what the physiotherapist thinks.

“It’s feeling a lot better now after being massaged. It feels like it’s just a knot or a tweak in my hamstring, but I’ll try to recover and be ready for tomorrow.”

Manders and Stovell stabilised the Bermuda innings with their century stand of attacking cricket. When the opener eventually fell, dismissed by Dwight Weakley in the nineteenth over, Stovell had an opportunity to get his maiden T20 international fifty.

But it was not to be for the 40-year-old as Burgess, whose clean hitting has mostly been limited to the domestic game until now, took centre stage in the last over. Burgess dispatched Javelle Gallimore for three sixes in an over that went for 21 runs to boost Bermuda’s total, while leaving Stovell one run short of a half-century.

With Bahamas needing to score quickly to reach their target, Stovell opened the bowling with Burgess and struck with just his fourth ball to get Benn leg-before.

Brangman picked up two wickets in his first over and Eugene Duff was run out by Jonté Smith before a brilliant piece of fielding on the boundary by Sabir resulted in Taylor going for 31.

Two balls later, Sabir had Julio Jemison caught and bowled for a two-ball duck and Brangman picked up his second wicket in his second over, as Dwight Wheatley attempted a big shot, only to be caught by substitute fielder Chare Smith.

It could have been three wickets for Brangman, but lone slip Bascome missed a chance from Rudolph Fox, but that did not cost Bermuda much, as Sabir had Fox caught by Chare Smith.

As fellow left-arm spinner Kevon Fubler limped off after being hit by a ball on his knee while fielding, Brangman bowled Weakly for his third wicket.

Jonté Smith picked up two wickets towards the end of the Bahamas innings, with the seamer’s figures spoilt by a six hit by Antonio Harris off the last ball of the match.

Fray is keeping his fingers crossed that Fubler, Bermuda’s highest wicket-taker with 12 scalps in the tournament, is able to play on the final day.

“We’ll assess Kevon tomorrow to see if he is fit to play and hopefully he can pull through,” Fray said.

“Unfortunately, with that first game rained out, we have to win to finish on top. The guys are motivated and our goal was to come down here and win the competition, so the goal is to go undefeated.

“We’re looking forward to tomorrow, Cayman got a good win today and I think the two teams deserve to win the last match of the tournament.”

With top spot at stake, the final match against Cayman Islands promises to be a thriller and Bermuda’s bowling attack has to be at its best to contain Sacha De Alwis, the leading run-scorer who hit the tournament’s first century when he blasted 150 not out against Brazil on Saturday.