Kathmandu, April 27
Nepal defeated Hong Kong by four wickets in the semifinal match of the ACC Under-16 Eastern Region Cricket Tournament at the Prem Tinsulanonda International School grounds in Chiangmai, Thailand today.
Invited to take the first strike, Hong Kong were bowled out for 86 runs in 32.2 overs. In reply, Nepal reached 87-6 in 21.4 overs. Aaish Bhattarai top scored for Nepal with 17 off 43 balls that included two boundaries, while Rohan Dudhraj BK struck three fours in his 12- ball 14.
Krishna Karki remained unbeaten on 12, while openers Deepak Bohara (11) and Suwash Ayer (10) also contributed in double figures for Nepal. Brij Narain Sheopuri was the pick of the Hong Kong bowlers taking 3-20 from six overs, while Ahan Kanhai Trivedi grabbed 2-22.
Earlier, Arush Bhagwat fought the lonely battle for Hong Kong after they were reduced to 49-5 inside 18 overs. Bhagwat, who remained unbeaten on 43 off 83 balls hitting four boundaries, was the lone Hong Kong batsman to score in double figures.
Nikhil Kumar Singh was the chief destroyer and returned with the figures of 4-16 from 6.2 overs that also earned him the player-ofthe-match award, while Bishal Kumar Patel (2-17) and Ramesh Kurmi (2-14) shared four wickets between them. Tilak Raj Bhandari also got one scalp.
Nepal will now face Malaysia on Sunday’s final. Malaysia defeated Singapore by 57 runs in another semi-final match. Batting first, Malaysia posted 170-6 in their allotted 35 overs before packing Singapore for 113 runs with 26 balls to spare.
Written by Sandeep Sen
This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-beat-hk-enter-final/ under the title “Nepal beat HK, enter final”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
