Bermuda have lost their place in the Challenge League after losing to Vanuatu today in Malaysia, with Italy and Kuwait also recording wins, against Tanzania and Bahrain respectively.

Bermuda won the toss and chose to bowl first at the Selangor Turf Club, reducing Vanuatu to 5-3 within the first four overs. Captain Joshua Rasu and Andrew Mansale recovered the Vanuatu innings with a 53 run partnership before Mansale was dismissed for 35.

Rasu reached 53 before he was the eighth wicket to fall, and Vanuatu reached 153 before losing their final wicket. Bermuda used seven bowlers, with six of them taking wickets. Derrick Brangman was the pick of the bunch with 2-21.

Despite their low target, Bermuda fell short, largely due to an inspired spell of left-arm spin bowling by Vanuatu Cricket CEO Tim Cutler, who took 4-35 to help bowl Bermuda out for 122. The 31 run win kept Vanuatu's hopes of retaining their Challenge League status alive, whilst simultaneously ensuring that Bermuda are relegated and need to get their T20I ranking high enough to play in this tournament against in the next cycle.

Over at the Bayuemas Oval, Italy stayed alive with a big win over Tanzania. Batting first after winning the toss, a second tournament century by Wayne Madsen (110 from 71 balls) helped them post 325-8 from their 50 overs. Rakibul Hasan and Nicholas Maiolo both took 3 wickets as the African side were bowled out for 163, Italy winning by 162 runs.

At the YSD-UKM oval in Bangi, Kuwait won the toss and put Bahrain in to bat, wuickly reducing them to 28-5. Knocks of 51 by Ahmed Bin Nasir and 62 by Junaid Aziz helped Bahrain recover to post 202 before losing their final wicket with two balls left. Shahrukh Quddus was the pick of the bowlers with 4-30.

At the halfway stage of the Kuwait reply, rain interupted their innings with them on 104-3. When play resumed, their new target was 186 in 43 overs. Meet Bhavsar (71) and Mohammad Amin (67) helped Kuwait reach their target with 2.3 overs to spare, winning by five wickets.

Despite their defeat, results elsewhere meant that Bahrain had secured promotion to the Challenge League for the next cycle, whatever the result in their match against Bermuda on Sunday. Kuwait and Tanzania - already certain of promotion - also meet on Sunday but the key match of the day will be between Vanuatu and Italy with the winners retaining their Challenge League status, and the losers being relegated.