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Nepal qualify for the semi-finals after no-result against Thailand
Nepal advanced to the semi-finals of the ACC U-16 Eastern Region cricket tournament after their third and final Group ‘A’ match against hosts Thailand ended in a no-result due to rain in Chiangmai, Thailand, on Thursday.Sports Bureau
Nepal advanced to the semi-finals of the ACC U-16 Eastern Region cricket tournament after their third and final Group ‘A’ match against hosts Thailand ended in a no-result due to rain in Chiangmai, Thailand, on Thursday.
Electing to bat first at the Prem Tinsulanonda International School grounds, Nepal posted a commanding 234-7 in 35 overs. Even before Thailand had opened the scoring, they lost opener Chawatrchai to Prashant Mahat in the penultimate ball of the second over. As it turned out the dismissal was the last action of the match as the rain and thunderstorm washed out the remainder of the game. The result meant, Nepal qualified as Group ‘A’ winners with five points from three games. Thailand on the contrary were eliminated with three points as Malaysia pipped them with four and qualified as runners-up from the group.
Nepal made a poor start losing opener Sushant Thapa for a duck. But Thapa’s opening partner Deepak Bohara consolidated the Nepali innings putting on 55 runs for the second wicket. Bohara scored 36-ball 35 with five fours and a six. Although Nepal lost another wicket of Prashant Mahat (9) cheaply, Aaish Bhattarai and skipper Bishal Bikram KC laid the foundation for a big total on the board. The duo collected 73 runs for the fourth wicket. Bhattarai top-scored with a patient 58, his 73-ball knock included nine boundaries. KC played an aggressive knock scoring 38 off 13 deliveries with four fours and two sixes.
Tailenders Bishal Kumar Patel and Nikhil Kumar Singh played a huge role in Nepal posting a decent total with their explosive cameos. Patel scored 28 off 23 balls with five hits to the fence, while Singh slammed 12-ball 22 with two fours and a six. Narawit Nuntarach claimed three and Yodsak Saranonnakkun took two wickets for Thailand.
But for all their excellent batting, Nepal had to share the spoils with Thailand thanks to the weather. Both took one points for the game. Before the Thailand match, Nepal had defeated Myanmar by seven wickets on Saturday and off Malaysia by 38 runs on Wednesday. Nepal will now take on the Group ‘B’ runners-up Hong Kong while Singapore will be up against the Group ‘A’ runners-up Malaysia in the semi-finals on Saturday. The final is scheduled for Sunday.