KATHMANDU, Jan 25: With an impressive all-round performance, Nepal registered an 86-run win in its second match of ACC Women´s Championship against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in Thailand on Friday.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first at Gymkhana cricket ground, Nepal scored 145/5 in allotted 25 overs and bowled out the UAE team for 59 in 22.4 overs, with Nepal´s Sonu Khadka ripping apart the opponent´s top order. [break]
Chasing a formidable total, UAE players never got a chance to settle, with Sonu doing much of the damage. She sent three top order UAE players back to the pavilion inside 4.1 over, with just 17 runs scored on board, finishing with an impressive figures of 5-1-17-3.
The UAE then continued to lose quick wickets before the whole innings caved in for 59, with16 balls remaining. Humaira Tasmeen was the only UAE player to score in double digits. The middle order batswoman scored 12 off 23 balls before she fell to Nary Thapa.
Apart from Nary and Sonu, Karuna Bhadari took two wickets and Sarita Magar and Rubina Chhetri claimed one wicket each. Nepal gave away 14 runs as extras.
Earlier for Nepal, opener Sita Magar top-scored with a fluent 46 off 48 balls, smashing seven boundaries.
Nepal lost another opener Madhu Thapa for her individual score of 3 off 21 balls, with 29 runs on board. Roshani Bohara (7 off 10 balls) was the next go, leaving the side at 45/2 in 8.6 overs.
However, Sita held firm on the other end and consolidated the Nepali inning, with her new partner Sarita Magar in a crucial third wicket stand of 41.
With Sita gone in 15.4 overs, Sarita carried on the momentum and went on to score an unbeaten 41 runs off 44 balls that also included three hits to the fence.
Nary Thapa chipped in with a handy 16 off 17 balls before she was out in 21.4 over, with the team’s score at 119/4, while skipper Rubina Chhetry made 5. Neera Rajopadhyay was unbeaten on 4. Nepal got 23 runs as extras.
Kyna Vedhasinghe was the pick of UAE bowlers, taking two wickets, whereas Aysha Naushadkhan, Humaira Tasneem and Petule Nadar grabbed on wicket apiece.
Nepal defeated Bhutan by eight wickets on Thursday. The winner of the championship will qualify for the ICC Women´s World T20 Qualifiers to be held in Ireland in August.
Related story
Sarita takes four as Nepal registers second straight win
-1200x560-1779899638.webp)
-1779842101.webp)
-1779943688.webp)
