KATHMANDU: Nepali youth cricket team finished fourth in the Quadrangular U19 One Day Series after suffering a 71-run defeat at the hands of Afghanistan at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday.

Batting first, Afghanistan scored 244-8 in 50 overs before Nepal were all out for 173 runs with five overs to spare in the third-place playoff match.

Nepal had registered a 25-run victory over the same opponents for their first win in seven years in the last league match of the series two days ago. The series, which also featured two teams from India, was organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the warm up for the U-19 Asia Cup.

All three teams have been pitted in Group A along with the United Arab Emirates in the U-19 Asia Cup slated for September 29 to October 7 in Bangladesh. Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan were drawn in Group B.

Nepal will open the campaign with a match against India on September 29 before taking on Afghanistan on October 1. Nepal will then face the UAE on October 2. Top two sides from both the pools will make it to the semi-finals.