Luxembourg Hold Nerve to Chase Down Czech Republic With Two Wickets to Spare

Luxembourg won by 2 wickets (with 6 balls remaining) against Czech Republic in the 110th match of 135 in the T20 Internationals 2026 season at Scott Page Field in Prague. This was their second win of the day having already beaten Serbia in the earlier fixture, and it took a nerveless unbeaten ninth-wicket stand between Edmund Packard and Jatin Madan to get them over the line after slumping to 149/8.

Czech Republic Innings – 164/8 (20 overs)

Luxembourg won the toss and elected to bowl. Czech Republic’s openers Sahil Grover (29 off 12, one four and three sixes, SR 242) and Mohammad Ratul (13 off 10, one six) came out swinging, racing to 49/0 inside four overs. Then came one of the most dramatic collapses of the day.

Three wickets fell at the score of 49 in the space of three deliveries – Grover was given out LBW at 49/1 in over 3.3, Ritik Tomar (0 off 1) was run out at 49/2 in over 3.4, and Ratul was caught at 49/3 in over 3.5. From 49/0 to 49/3 without a run scored – a devastating triple blow.

Sazib Bhuiyan (23 off 8, three sixes, SR 288) counterattacked brilliantly but fell at 74/4 in over 5.4. Kamal Soukhiya was the architect of the Czech collapse, finishing with superb figures of 4/26 from four overs at an economy of 6.50.

The middle order stuttered – Sabawoon Davizi (16 off 14), Venkatesh Marghashayam (10 off 18), and Rhuturaj Magare (9 off 8) all fell without converting starts. It was left to Joe Cope (23 not out off 23), Sojib Miah (15 off 10, two fours), and Neeraj Tyagi (13 not out off 16) to push the total to a competitive 164/8. Edmund Packard (1/18, Econ 4.50), Vikram Vijh (1/23, Econ 5.75), and Milad Momand (1/26, Econ 6.50) shared the remaining wickets.

Luxembourg Innings – 168/8 (19 overs)

The chase started poorly when Timothy Barker (9 off 4, two fours) was bowled at 12/1 in over 1.4. Girish Venkateswaran (23 off 26, two fours and a six) and Shiv Karan Gill (19 off 17, two fours) rebuilt patiently to 53/2, but regular wickets kept the Czech bowlers in the contest.

Asghar Ali Khan (9 off 7) fell at 69/4, and William Cope (23 off 19) was bowled at 98/5 in over 13.1. Vikram Vijh (21 off 13, two sixes, SR 162) injected some urgency before falling at 120/6 in over 14.6. Soukhiya (1 off 3) went at 138/7, and Vivek Dixit (11 off 5, two fours) departed at 149/8 in over 17.3.

Luxembourg needed 16 off 15 balls with just two wickets in hand. Packard (27 not out off 13, two fours and two sixes, SR 208) and Madan (16 not out off 8, three fours, SR 200) held their nerve, adding an unbeaten 19 to complete a thrilling victory with a full over to spare. Neeraj Tyagi (1/25, Econ 6.25), Davidson Ramani (2/26, Econ 8.67), and Marghashayam (2/30, Econ 10.00) led the Czech bowling effort.

Statz MVP – Kamal Soukhiya (109.46)

Statz rates Kamal Soukhiya as the match’s most impactful player with a rating of 109.46 – an excellent score that calculates impact based on match context. Soukhiya’s 4/26 from four overs was the dominant bowling performance of the match, breaking the back of the Czech innings with the crucial triple-wicket cluster at 49. He scored just 1 with the bat in the chase, but his bowling impact was so significant that he comfortably tops the ratings. No official Man of the Match was awarded.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

1. Kamal Soukhiya (LUX) – 109.46 | 4/26 from four overs at an economy of 6.50. The match-defining bowling spell that ripped through the Czech top order.
2. Edmund Packard (LUX) – 102.23 | 27 not out off 13 (SR 208) with the bat plus 1/18 with the ball. Held his nerve when Luxembourg were 149/8 to finish the job.
3. Sazib Bhuiyan (CZE) – 88.56 | 23 off 8 (three sixes, SR 288). A blistering counterattack after the 49/3 collapse that briefly put Czech Republic back on track.
4. Vikram Vijh (LUX) – 79.55 | 21 off 13 (two sixes) with the bat plus 1/23 with the ball. All-round contribution that kept Luxembourg in the hunt.
5. Sahil Grover (CZE) – 63.26 | 29 off 12 (one four, three sixes, SR 242). A devastating opening blast that set the tone before falling LBW at 49.

Turning Point

The fall of Sahil Grover LBW at 49/1 in over 3.3 triggered one of the most dramatic collapses in the match. Czech Republic had raced to 49 without loss inside four overs and looked set for a total north of 200. Three wickets then fell at the same score in three consecutive deliveries, turning 49/0 into 49/3 and completely shifting the momentum. Czech Republic never recovered the initiative, eventually finishing 30-40 runs short of what their powerplay position promised.

Match Context

This was the 110th match of 135 in the T20 Internationals 2026 season, played at Scott Page Field in Prague. This was the first ever T20I meeting between Czech Republic and Luxembourg. Luxembourg picked up their second win of the day in Prague, having beaten Serbia earlier at the same venue. For Czech Republic, this was a disappointing result on home soil after comfortable wins over Hungary and Bulgaria earlier in the season. ICC T20I rankings were not available for either side. For full scorecard details, visit the Statz scorecard page.