Sports
Nepal ease to UAE victory
Nepal put on a dominant bowling display to hammer the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by seven wickets in their second match of the ICC Women’s World Cup Asia Qualifier in Bangkok on Friday.Adarsha Dhakal
Nepal put on a dominant bowling display to hammer the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by seven wickets in their second match of the ICC Women’s World Cup Asia Qualifier in Bangkok on Friday.
UAE’s decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired after Nepali bowlers made the most of morning conditions to bundle out their opponents for just 41 runs in 17.3 overs. Nepal did lose three wickets in their chase but were safely home reaching 45-3 in 10.2 overs.
It was Nepal’s second victory in the tournament having previously defeated Malaysia by 34 runs in the first match. Nepal had lost to Thailand on Thursday by 57 runs for a defeat that could now see them out of the race for the 2020 ICC Twenty20 World Cup and 50-over Global Qualifiers. They currently sit at fourth spot of the seven-team standings with four points from three matches.
Only the top place finishers after the single round robin league will book a ticket to the Qualifiers. Thailand firmly lead the table with six points from three matches on net run-rate. Thailand have played a game less than second-placed UAE and third-placed China, who also have six points apiece.
UAE had scored 105 runs when the two teams clashed last in the Thailand Women’s Twenty20 Smash last month. Nepal had gone on to win that match in the 19th over losing four wickets but the bowlers this time made sure, the team was not going to sweat hard. Nepal coach Binod Das said the plan worked for his side.
“We had a different plan for the UAE this time around which we thought would work better after playing them last time. We wanted to use our left-arm spinners for their top order batters and thankfully it worked. We didn’t give them any width with new ball which was the key. It feels good to put up a plan and see the team execute it well,” Das told the Post from Bangkok.
Openers Kajol Shrestha and Sita Rana Magar (six) began with a 23-run stand before Nepal lost two wickets in a space of five balls to Esha Oza. Rana Magar was first to go, while Apsari Begam was out for a duck in her debut in Twenty20 International.
Skipper Rubina Shrestha eased the chase together with Shrestha sharing 18 runs for the fourth wicket. Chhetri, who hit the winning boundary, made 18 off 17 with a six and two fours. Shrestha was dismissed for a 25-ball 15 when the scores were level. She hit two fours.
Earlier, Kabita Kunwar, Sonu Khadka and Sita Rana Magar took two wickets each reducing UAE to 19-6 in nine overs. Chamani Seneviratna offered resistance for a while before former skipper Nary Thapa resumed the Emirati collapse. Thapa began with the dismissal of UAE top scorer Seneviratna as they lost last four wickets for just six runs. Thapa took all four of them.
Player-of-the-match Thapa returned with the figures of 4-6 from 3.3 overs. Seneviratna was the only UAE batswoman to cross double digit with a 29-ball 13. She hit the only boundary of the UAE innings. Nepal will take on Hong Kong in their fourth match on Sunday.
Summary
Nepal 45-3 in 10.2 overs (R Chhetry 18*, K Shrestha 15; E Oza, K Egodage 1-7) beat UAE 41 in 17.3 overs (C Seneviratna 13; N Thapa 4-6, SR Magar 2-7, K Kunwar 2-7, S Khadka 2-6) by seven wickets
Player-of-the-match: N Thapa