The Philippine Carabaos capped a resilient campaign by securing the silver medal in the T20 event of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, edging host Thailand by the narrowest of margins, 156/9–153/7, on Saturday at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Bangkok, Thailand.
The dramatic one-wicket victory sealed a runners-up finish for the Carabaos, who rebounded strongly after a rough start to the tournament to emerge as the second-best team behind eventual champions Malaysia.
The Philippines opened its SEA Games campaign with a heavy setback, absorbing a 114-run loss to Malaysia after being bowled out for 87 in pursuit of a towering 201-run target.
Unfazed, the Carabaos quickly regrouped and responded with back-to-back wins that revived their medal hopes.
They first outlasted higher-ranked Singapore, 145/9–131/6, before delivering a dominant statement against Indonesia, cruising to a 78-run victory after posting 182/5 and bowling their opponents out for 104.
Those results set up a decisive final-round clash against winless Thailand, with silver still within reach.
With the match — and the medal — hanging in the balance, Josef Doctora earlier smashed a six to pull the Philippines within two runs at 151, only to be dismissed for the ninth wicket moments later.
Rhys Burinaga kept the Carabaos alive, threading the ball past the defense to trim the deficit to a single run with three balls remaining in the 20th and final over.
Grant Russ then delivered the finishing blow, launching the ball beyond the boundary for four runs to seal the win and clinch a hard-earned silver for the Philippines.
Chasing a manageable target of 153 after claiming seven Thai wickets through disciplined bowling and sharp fielding, the Carabaos gained early momentum with a 20-run third over, quickly matching the 47 runs Thailand managed across its first four overs.
Thailand, however, mounted a late resistance, striking back in the middle overs by dismissing three Filipino batsmen in the 13th and 14th overs while conceding just two runs to claw their way back into contention.
Daniel Smith anchored the chase with 41 runs, punctuated by seven fours and two sixes. Meanwhile, Russ added 33, highlighted by the medal-clinching boundary — one of his three fours in a nervy finish.
