KATHMANDU, MARCH 8

Nepal national cricket team defeated Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club by 82 runs in the second practice match at the Navy grounds in Colombo today.

Batting first, Nepal were bowled out for 197 runs in 43.4 overs before packing the home team for 115 runs in 30.5 overs.

Nepal had defeated the same opponents by 111 runs in the first match yesterday. Nepal will play two more matches against local teams before leaving for the United Arab Emirates to play tri-series under the ICC Cricket World Cup League-II.

Invited to bat first, Nepal were reduced to 32-4 before Dipendra Singh Airee and Pawan Sarraf added 48 runs for the fifth wicket to steady the innings.

Airee and Bhim Sharki then shared a 57-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Sharki and Bibek Kumar Yadav added 36 runs for the seventh wicket before Nepal lost three wickets in the space of three runs. Skipper Sandeep Lamichhane and Sagar Dhakal added 22 runs for the 10th wicket.

Airee top scored with 65 off 79 balls that included five fours and a six, while Sharki scored 42-ball 30. Yadav struck two fours and a six in his 32-ball 26, while Sarraf scored 22. Skipper Lamichhane remained unbeaten on 14 off 15 balls that included one each four and six.

S Dakshina took three wickets for Navy SC, while S Coomarasamy, D Madushan and D Auwavdt claimed two each.

In reply, K Nuwantha top scored for Navy with 34 off 49 balls that included five fours, while G Gurusingha scored 41- ball 24 hitting a four and two sixes. S Coomarasamy (18), P Dias (14) and M Madushan (11) contributed in double figures.

Pawan Sarraf was the pick of the Nepali bowlers taking 4-26 from five overs, while Dipendra Singh Airee grabbed two. Bikram Sob, Sandeep Lamichhane and Kushal Bhurtel bagged one wicket each.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 9, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.