KATHMANDU, JULY 4

Naren Bhatta scored an unbeaten century and skipper Abhisekh Tiwari took five wickets as Nepal thrashed Malaysia by 221 runs in the final of the ACC U-16 East Zone Cup at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur today.

Batting first, Nepal amassed 252-8 in their allotted 35 overs before packing the home team for a paltry 31 runs in 14.5 overs.

With the victory, Nepal claimed their third straight title of the tournament. Nepal had claimed the titles of the ACC U-16 Eastern Region Tournament in 2017 and 2019, and the event was renamed as ACC Men's U-16 East Zone Cup from this edition.

Nepal openers Suryanshu Koirala and Niraj Kumar Yadav put up 41 runs in 7.2 overs before Malaysia got the breakthrough.

Koirala was the first to go, caught by Hamzah Panggi off Areean Aqueel for 18 off 23 balls that included two boundaries.

Bhatta and Yadav then added 55 runs for the second wicket before Nepal lost three quick wickets to be reduced to 112-4 inside 19 overs.

Yadav was dismissed for 49- ball 47 that included six boundaries, while Dipu Kumar (five) and Pratik Bhattarai (one) were dismissed cheaply. Bhatta and Santosh Yadav then shared a 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket to guide the team towards huge total. Yadav hit two fours in his 29-ball 26. Bhatta remained unbeaten on 112 off just 89 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and two sixes, while Ashok Dhami hit a six in his seven-ball 11.

Muhammad Akram took three wickets for Malaysia, while Haziq Haiqal, Areean Aqeel and Muhammad Fathul Muin grabbed one each.

In reply, Nepal skipper Tiwari bowled opener Muhammad Asyqal and Hamzah Panggi in the first and fourth balls of the innings as Malaysia lost two wickets with just one run on the board. The home team batters failed to build partnerships and lost wickets at regular interval to be dismissed cheaply.

Muhammad Akram was the lone Malaysian batter to contribute in double figures, scoring 10, while Muhammad Asyraf Rifaie was the next best at seven. Akram hit the lone six of the innings, while Rifaie struck the only four for Malaysia. Five of the Malaysian batters failed to open their accounts.

Tiwari was the pick of the Nepali bowlers taking 6-7 from six overs and he was ably supported by Santosh Yadav (3-3). Sagar Gaire and Ashok Dhami grabbed one wicket each.

A version of this article appears in the print on July 5, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.