Kathmandu, January 8
Lumbini All Stars defeated Janakpur Royals by six runs to advance to the final of the NepalT30 Cricket League here at the TU Stadium today.
The All Stars posted 143-8 in their allotted 20 overs before restricting the Royals to 137-7 in the first qualifiers match. The All Stars and Royals had finished in top two after double round robin league. The Royals will now get a second chance to make it to the final when they face the winners of the eliminator match between Biratnagar Super Kings and Kathmandu Knights.
The All Stars had a disastrous start after being sent in as they lost opener Harmeet Singh for a first-ball duck and they were soon reduced to 32-4 inside seven overs after Kushal Bhurtel (three), Lahiri Milantha (16) and skipper Dipendra Singh Airee (10) fell cheaply.
Ishan Pandey and Anil Sah revived the innings with a 62-run partnership for the fifth wicket and the All Stars were able to post the fighting total riding on some lusty hitting from Bipul Sharma and Shadley van Schalkwyk. Pandey top scored with 38 off 39 balls that included three fours and a six, while Sah hit two fours in his 26-ball 24.
Sharma struck two sixes in his 13-ball 20, while van Schalkwyk scored a quick fire 17 off eight balls with the help of two boundaries and a six. Ashan Priyanjan, Sompal Kami and Jitendra Mukhiya took two wickets each for the Royals, while Trevon Griffith and Pawan Sarraf grabbed one apiece.
In reply, the Royals batters failed to build partnerships and were reduced to 75-6 in 14 overs.
Samiullah Shinwari and Pawan Sarraf brought the team back in contention adding 48 runs for the seventh wicket. The Royals came close to winning the match after the duo collected 19 runs in the penultimate over, which also saw the fall of Shinwari after hitting two straight sixes off van Schalkwyk.
They needed just 10 runs from the last over but Kishore Mahato conceded just three runs despite Sompal Kami giving the strike to Sarraf with a single in the first ball. Mahato bowled three straight dots before Sarraf took a double in the penultimate ball and the bowler ended it with another dot ball.
Shinwari top scored with 45 off 31 balls that included two fours and three sixes, while Sarraf struck two each boundaries and sixes in his unbeaten 30 off 19 balls.
Opener Sharafuddin Ashraf hit four boundaries and a six in his 24, while Rajesh Pulami (13) and skipper Trevon Griffith (10) contributed in double figures.
Player-of-the-match Bipul Sharma, skipper Airee and Sagar Shakal claimed two wickets each for the All Stars.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 9, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
