Sports
Nepal begin campaign with win over B’desh
Nepal crushed Bangladesh by nine wickets in their first match of the first International Wheelchair Twenty20 cricket tournament at the Tribhuvan University Stadium grounds in Kirtipur on Thursday.Nepal crushed Bangladesh by nine wickets in their first match of the first International Wheelchair Twenty20 cricket tournament at the Tribhuvan University Stadium grounds in Kirtipur on Thursday.
Electing to field first, Nepal restricted Bangladesh to 77-9 in the allotted 20 overs before reaching 78-1 with 42 balls to spare. The victory means Nepal now have their one foot in the final and will meet India in Friday’s second match.
India and Bangladesh will clash in Friday’s first game. The top two teams from the single header will reach the final.
Nepal rarely looked uncomfortable in their chase after openers Digam Chemjong Limbu and Nabin Rai began with a 62-run partnership for the first wicket. Rai made 16 from 24 balls with a boundary before he was bowled by Mohammad Rajon.
Limbu then completed the chase with Jung Bahadur Thapa (11 not out). Limbu top scored with 35 from 46 balls with three boundaries.
Earlier, opener Sazzad Hossain made 16 from 29 with three boundaries but Bangladesh kept on losing wickets from the other end to get reduced to 26-5 in 7.4 overs. Four of Bangladesh’s first six batsmen were dismissed for duck. No 7 batsman Mohammad Rippon Uddin top scored for them with 18 from 15 deliveries with four boundaries.
Uddin was the lone scorer when he shared 18 runs for the sixth wicket with Ahadul Islam. After his departure, Mohammad Mohidul Islam and Mohammad Morshed Alam (seven not out) lifted the team from 49-8 in 12.5 overs with a 25-run ninth wicket stand. Islam made 16 from 34 with three hits to the fence.
Man-of-the-match Bipin Paudyal picked up 4-11 from four overs for Nepal, while Yam Bahadur Shrestha took 2-2 with two maiden in his four-over spell. The tournament is organised for the first time in Nepal by Wheelchair Cricket Association, Nepal.