Kathmandu. Nepal beat Hong Kong by nine wickets to register their third consecutive win in the ICC Under-19 Men’s World Cup Asia Qualifier on Monday.
Nepal completed the target of 121 runs given by Hong Kong by losing 1 wicket in 22.1 overs at Malek Cricket Ground in Ajman, UAE.
Opener Akash Tripathi remained unbeaten for Nepal and scored the highest 64 runs. Uttam Thapa Magar scored 39 not out. Akash, who won by hitting sixes, hit 5 fours and 4 sixes in 72 balls. Uttam played 50 balls and hit 4 fours.
After adding 26 runs, Nepal lost its first wicket in the sixth over. But Akash gave victory to Nepal by sharing an unbeaten 98 runs for the second wicket with Uttam Thapa Magar. Opener Arjun Kumal added 16 runs. Hong Kong’s Daniel Morgan Mopp took 1 wicket. Batting first after winning the toss, the Hong Kong team was all out for 120 runs in 46.3 overs in front of the tight bowling of the Nepali bowler.
For Hong Kong, Parth Bhagwat scored 36 runs in 93 balls with the help of 4 fours. Mohammad Aliyan Zaheer scored 29 runs. Bhagwat and Zaheer shared a 47-run partnership for the fifth wicket for Hong Kong. Nepal’s Hemant Dhami, Subas Bhandari and Dipesh Kandel bowled brilliantly to dismiss Hong Kong.
Hemant took 3 wickets by giving 3 maidens for 19 runs in 9 overs. Economy bowling spinner Subas Bhandari took a total of 10 runs and 2 wickets in 10 overs keeping 3 maidens. Another spinner Dipesh Kandel bowled 10 overs and took 1 wicket for 17 runs. Akash Chand bowled 8.3 overs and took 2 wickets for 43 runs.
