Sports
Nepal off to flying start
Nepal got off to a flying start in the ACC U-16 Eastern Region cricket tournament with a crushing 133-run victory over Thailand at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday.Nepal got off to a flying start in the ACC U-16 Eastern Region cricket tournament with a crushing 133-run victory over Thailand at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday.
Following a collective batting effort, Nepal were restricted for 179 in 34.4 overs. Narayan Joshi then picked up five wickets as Thailand were bundled out for just 46 runs in 19.3 overs. The tournament is 35-over-a-side.
Man-of-the-match Joshi tore apart Thailand top and middle order picking up 5-17 from his seven-over spell as the hosts were a no match for Nepal. Thailand were reduced to 10-5 in 7.3 overs and 23-9 in 12.2 overs after Joshi found good support from Surya Tamang (2-9). The last pair of Kokiad Chatwong and Yodsak Saranonnakkun (seven not out) pushed the team close to 50-run mark with a 23-run stand for the 10th wicket. Chatwong top scored with 11 from 27 balls with one boundary.
While the first four Thai batsmen failed to open their accounts, Sarawat Malian (seven) was the only other player to hit a boundary in the game. Nikhil Kumar Singh and Bishal Bikram KC also took a wicket each for Nepal.
Earlier, Nepal got off to a decent start after openers Kushal Malla and Rajan Magar (17) began with a 33-run first wicket stand. Malla made 24 from 22 balls with three boundaries and a six. Nepal were reduced to 83-4 in 13.1 overs after they lost both the openers along with KC and skipper Rit Gautam (16).
Tirtha Raj Das and Sunil Bhandari then shared 37 runs for the fifth wicket to consolidate the innings. Das was the day’s highest scorer making 39 from 57 balls in an innings studded with four boundaries. Bhandari made 23 off 33 with a boundary. Pratish GC (12) was next best scorer in the lower order. Chatwong picked up 3-34, while Chiraphong Liangwichian (2-40) and Kongkidakon Rueangr-otchachai (2-42) shared four wickets for Thailand.
Nepal will now meet Hong Kong in their next Group ‘A’ match on Tuesday at the same venue. Myanmar are the other team in this pool. Group ‘B’ consists of Bhutan, China, Malaysia and Singapore. Hong Kong defeated Myamar by 212 runs in the other match of the day, while in Group ‘B’, Singapore and China registered victories.
Summary
Nepal 179 in 34.4 overs (TR Das 39, K Malla 24; K Chatwong 3-34, C Liangwichian 2-40) beat Thailand 46 in 19.3 overs (K Chatwong 11, S Maliwan 7; N Joshi 5-17, S Tamang 2-9) by 133 runs; Man-of-the-match: N Joshi (NEP)