BAHRAIN will take on Thailand today in the fifth/sixth-place play-off at the ACC U-16 Elite Cup in Malaysia, keen to finish what has been an up-and-down tournament for the side.

After a disappointing loss to Malayasia in the opening round of the group stage, Bahrain then slipped to a second successive defeat at the hands of Nepal to ruin any chances of challenging for the title.

They rallied impressively to beat Kuwait and Iran in the remaining group games however, to set up the clash with Thailand at Mayat Kinnara Oval.

With Akshay Bharadwaj leading the run-scoring chart for the whole tournament, 120 in four matches, and Harshun Shukla second best in terms of bowling figures, Bahrain have plenty of reason to feel confident.

According to coach Amir Waseem, the team has overcome the initial disappointment of those early losses and are now playing a more positive brand of cricket that will set them in good stead for today's match.