Ireland A won the match by 40 runs and won the series leading by 2–0 in the 2nd unofficial match of the T20 series against Nepal A side.
Nepal A and Ireland A met at the 2nd unofficial T20 match at TU International Stadium on 30 March. Ireland had begun the series with a 21-run victory in the first match of the series.
1st Inning
Ross Adair and James McCollum entered to open for Ireland A side while Kamal Singh came up with the new ball. Sagar Dhakal strikes early for Nepal with a new ball. Dhakal dismissed James McCollum in the fourth over with Binod Bhandari taking the first catch. James McCollum departed scoring quick 26 runs in just 13 deliveries.
Peter Moor came to bat at No. 3 for Wolves. Another opening batter also got dismissed by Sagar Dhakal strikes again in his second over as this time Pawan Srraf took a catch to send Ross Adair back to the pavilion. Adair scored 17(20) including a four and a six. Ireland was reduced to 52/2.
Stephen Doheny walked in at No. 4 for Ireland Wolves and started to build innings with Moor. Doheny got bowled out by Sagar Dhakal in the very first ball of Sagar Dhakal and Sagar Dhakal got his 3rd wicket of the inning. New Batter Cade Carmichael also got dismissed in the same over by a brilliant runout by Sagar Dhakal/ Pawan Sarraf.
Neil Rock came to construct the inning for Ireland after two back-to-back wickets. Neil Rock and Peter Moor started adding runs to the scoreboard after back-to-back wickets. Peter Moor was dismissed by a brilliant catch from Lokesh Bam in the 13th over bowled by Kamal Singh. Peter played an impactful inning of 65 runs in just 26 deliveries with 3 fours and 7 sixes.
Gareth Dealany was the new man in but could not add much to the scoreboard except 10 runs. Neil Rock and Fionn Hand played till the end for Ireland. Ireland played bold in the last 2 overs as in the first T20 match and accelerated the scoreboard to 224/6 with 25 runs in the ultimate over of Bipin Khatri. Fionn Hand scored 19(11) with 2 sixes. Neil Rock scored 71(34) including 1 four and 7 Sixes. With a fiery cameo from two batters Ireland Wolves scored 224 runs losing just 6 wickets.
On the Bowling side, Sagar Dhakal picks up 3 wickets giving away just 33 runs in his 4 over spell. Kamal Singh and Pawan Sarraf picked 1 wicket each for the side while Bipin Khatri, Aarif Sheikh, and Rashid Khan remain wicketless.
The Run Chase
Lokesh Bam and Dev Khanal entered to open for Nepal in the runchase. Both the batter approached aggressively in the power play. Lokesh Bam who had scored a Century in the first T20 match got caught by Neil Rock in the 4th over of the inning by Fionn Hand. Nepal A lose their first wicket for 46 runs in 3.1 overs.
Binod Bhandari came at No 3 to bat and played a quick knock of 26 runs in 13 balls including 1 four and 3 sixes before he got caught by Cade Carmichael in the 7th over. Ben White got his first wicket and Nepal was 93/2 at the end of 7 overs.
Dev Khanal was looking set despite wickets falling from the other end but got bowled out by Ben White at 47 runs in 25 balls including 7 fours. Aarif Sheikh entered the crease after Khanal’s dismissal. Following Khanal’s departure Kiran Thagunna also got out in the next over as Neil Rock took a beautiful catch. Nepal was reduced to 116/4 after Thagunna’s departure.
The tension peaked for the Nepal A side when Aarif Sheikh also got back to the pavilion after playing a quick knock of 14(10) in the 12th over by Matthew Foster. Pawan Sarraf also got out in a hurry scoring just 10(6). Nepal A side was looking strong and good in the runchase despite huge runs in the scoreboards but got completely collapsed in the middle over as the Lower order didn’t impress with the bat after getting expensive in the first inning.
On the Bowling side, Ben White picked up 3 crucial wickets for Ireland with an economy rate of 7.25. Fionn Hand and Thomas Mayes picked up 2 wickets each for the side while Matthew Foster and Gareth Delanuy settled for 1 wicket each.
Nepal got all out for 184 runs in 17.5 overs and lost the 2nd T20 match by 40 runs. Ireland Wolves won the T20 series and led by 2–0 before the final T20 match. Ireland wolves had beat Nepal by 21 runs in 1st T20.
Achievements and Awards
- Benn White was awarded Mansarra Most Valuable Player of the Match for his 3 wickets.
- Peter Morr was awarded with Degree Maila Striker of the Match for his 65(26).
- Skipper Neil Rock with his 71(34) awarded as ValleyXpress Player of the Match.