MCC march towards big total against hosts

Kathmandu, November 6

Marylebone Cricket Club marched towards a huge total in the three-day match against Nepal national team here at the Tribhuvan University Stadium today.

Three batsmen Will Rhodes, Miles Hammond and Will Vanderspar scored half century each as the visitors posted 311-6 at close after Nepal skipper Gyanendra Malla invited them to take the first strike. Opener Rhodes top scored with 73 off 110 balls that included 12 boundaries, while Vanderspar scored 96-ball 53 with the help of eight fours. Hammond struck eight boundaries and a six in his 58-ball 52.

Rhodes of Marylebone Cricket Club bats against host team during their a three day cricket match at TU Stadium, Kirtipur in Kathmandu on Wednesday. Photo: THT

Sompal Kami made the first breakthrough when he had Billy Godleman (10) caught by Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi with just 25 runs on the board. Rhodes and Tom Westley shared a 95-run partnership for the second wicket that took the match away from the home side. Kami separated the pair when he bowled Rhodes in 35th over.

Sharad Vesawkar trapped Westley leg before the wicket to reduce the visitors to 151-3. Westley scored 39 off 102 balls that included five boundaries. Hammond and Vanderspar added 49 runs for the fourth wicket to take the scores past 200 before Vesawkar bowled the former. Sandeep Lamichhane then took two wickets to check the run rate.

Yasir Arafat was unbeaten on 35, while Alex Thompson will resume on 22. They have added 47 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket. For the home side, Kami, Vesawkar and Lamichhane took two wickets each.

Earlier, nine of the 11 Nepali cricketers made the First Class debut from the match. Skipper Gyanendra Malla, vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee, star legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, Raju Rijal, Binod Bhandari, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, Arif Sheikh, Karan KC and Pawan Sarraf featured in their first First Class match.

The match is the first First Class match played by Nepal in 14 years since their 2005 Intercontinental Cup game against the United Arab Emirates on home soil. Two players from the starting eleven, Sharad Vesawkar and Sompal Kami had already featured in First Class cricket previously. Vesawkar had featured in all four First Class matches played by Nepal, while Kami made his debut in 2015 while playing for a Sri Lankan club in 2015.

The MCC, who played 50-over matches against U-19 side and national team, will play one-off Twenty20 match against Nepal on Saturday under their Legacy Tour. The MCC will then travel to Pokhara where they play two T20 matches against local sides.

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