Nepal won the match by 8 wickets after Hong Kong China was bowled out for just 114 runs in the first inning of the eleventh match of the ACC Premier T20 Cup at Al Amerat Cricket Ground Turf 1 in Nepal vs Hong Kong.
The game was reduced to 18 overs per inning due to a wet outfield at the start causing the toss delay with only 5 overs for powerplay and 3 bowlers were allowed to bowl their quota of 4 overs.
Nepal won the coin flip and elected to bowl first in match No. 11, Martin Coetzee and Anshuman Rath came out to open for Hong Kong China while Karan Kc started with the ball.
Karan Kc strikes early for Nepal dismissing opener batter Martin Coetzee Coetzee got caught behind by Aasif Sheikh and returned to the pavilion for just 8 runs in 7 deliveries.
New man Skipper Nizakat Khan came out to bat at No. 3 for the side but couldn’t add big on the boards. Dipendra Singh Airee who had just hit six sixes in an over against Qatar made a brilliant throw that caused Khan to get back to the pavilion with a score of just 12 runs in 11 deliveries at a strike rate of 109.09.
Dangerous Babar Hayat who had hit a century in the last match against Nepal came out to bat at No 4 for HK China.
Opener Batter Anshuman Rath was looking in a strong position and well-set but Nepal showcased brilliance again in fielding after Gulshan Jha’s throw from the deep third line directly shattered the stumps.
Anshuman Rath made a long walk to the pavilion for 34 runs in 26 deliveries with 4 fours and 1 six.
Babar also couldn’t make a big impact on the batting side as he departed for just 6 runs in 9 deliveries after Lalit Rajbanshi took the catch off his own bowling in his very first ball.
HK China looks struggling with the run rate as they were just 70/4 after the first 10 overs with two new men Aizaz Khan and Yasim Murtaza in the crease.
Skipper Paudel brought Rajbanshi back into the attack and didn’t upset by taking a wicket-maiden over as Aizaz Khan got hunted by Rajbanshi with an LBW, Aizaz Khan departed for just 7(13).
Tension peaked in the Hong Kong dugout when new batter Yashim Murtaza also got out and returned to the pavilion after Abhinash Bohora shattered his wickets. Hong Kong China 76/6 after 12.1 over.
New Batter Nasrulla Rana was at the crease but the death Specialist bowler for Nepal strike again with an easy catch from Lalit Rajbanshi to dismiss Nasrulla Rana for 6 runs in 10 deliveries and HK China 89/7 after 14.5 over.
Deependra Singh Airee takes an easy catch to dismiss Zeeshan Ali and Abhinash Bohira gets his third wicket. Zeeshan Ali departed after adding 14 runs in 15 deliveries.
Dipendra Singh Airee picked up 2 wickets in 2 consecutive deliveries in the last over of the first inning. Airee clean-bowled Ehsas Khan for just 11(9) and Dhananjay Rao for a duck.
Hong Kong, China got bundled up within 17.5 overs with only 114 runs on the board.
On the bowling side, Karan Kc completed his spell giving away just 28 runs and 1 wicket in his name. Lalit Rajbanshi remained the most economical for the side with an economy rate of 3.50 with 2 wickets in his name.
Abhinash Bohora picked the most 3 wickets for the side giving away 29 runs in 4 overs with an economy rate of 7.25.
Airee took 2 wickets in the final over giving away just 6 runs whereas Sompal Kami and Gulshan Jha remain wicketless for Nepal bowling 3 and 2 overs respectively.
Nepal’s Batting in Nepal vs Hong Kong
With a below-par target of 115 runs to chase, Nepal’s regular opening Batter Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh open with a bang for Nepal. Both batters started with a huge hitting for Nepal as Nepal was at 50/0 after 4 overs.
Hong Kong got their first wicket as Kushal Bhurtel was dismissed by Yasim Murtaza with an LBW in the sixth over. Bhurtel departed after adding 32 runs in 19 deliveries with 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Skipper Paudel came at No. 3 for Nepal and started adding runs to the boards.
Another set Opener Aasif Sheikh also got a soft dismissal after Ehsan Khan took a catch of his bowling. Sheikh departed adding 40 runs in 18 balls with 3 sixes and 3 fours for Nepal.
Sundeep Jora came out to bat at No. 4 for Nepal after being promoted up to the order.
Rohit Paudel hit the winning runs for Nepal with a boundary in the 13th over of the match and remained unbeaten at 25 runs in 20 deliveries with 3 fours. Sundeep Jora also remained unbeaten at 19 runs in 17 deliveries.
In the end, Nepal Won their third consecutive match at ACC Men’s Premier after being victorious in Nepal vs Hong kong, China by 8 wickets.
What do you think Will Nepal remain unbeaten at the group stage and compete in the semi-final? Can Nepal defend its title in this format too?