Nepal had earlier defeated Thailand by 83 runs during the first edition of the ACC U-19 Women´s Championship at Chiang Mai, Thailand. On Monday, Thailand, batting first after winning the toss, scored 86 runs for the loss of four wickets in 25 overs.[break]
Sirintra Saengsakaorat was unbeaten on 34 runs off 60 balls with a boundary. Chanida Sutthiruang scored 26 off 44 balls while Sureeporn Laomi scored 11 runs.
Nepal´s skipper Rubina Chhetri, Santoshi Chaudhary and Sangeeta Gauchan grabbed a wicket each.
Nepal improved its bowling compared to the previous match as it gave only 10 extras. In the previous match against the UAE, Nepali bowlers had conceded 33 runs extras that included 29 wides.
In chasing the moderate total of 87 runs, Nepal lost six wickets and played 22.4 overs. Nepal did not start well as it lost its first wickets with 11 runs on board. Opener Shilu Rijal and Anuradha Chaudhary were back on the pavilion with one run each. Nepal was three down by the start of the fourth over with 12 runs on board.
Indu Berma, who was adjudged the player-of-the-match, was not out on 40 runs off 53 balls with three boundaries. Berma shared a 28-run partnership with skipper Chhetri for the fourth wicket. Chhetri was back on the pavilion with her personal 11 runs off 31 balls. Immediately after the fall of the skipper, Nepal lost another wicket of Pratiksha Basyal for duck.
Berma was supported by Mamata Chaudhary for the sixth wicket as they shared a 41-run partnership. Chaudhary gave away her wicket after scoring 12 runs. Sonu Khadka was not out on two runs.
Nepal´s coach Navin Singh said that his side won the match because of tight bowling. “We had discussed the bowling of the previous match prior to today´s match and that helped the players to keep line and length in mind while bowling. Our batting was poor against Thailand as the players lacked match experiences and they were not good at running between the wickets.”
Coach Singh added that they are ready to face Bhutan in the semifinal with a winning mentality.
Player-of-the-match Berma said that she was happy to lead Nepal toward the victory. “Thailand bowlers bowled well but I was not afraid of them and stayed at the crease to lead the team to victory.”
Related story
Bhutan Watch exposes deepening Human Rights crisis in Bhutan in...
