KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 27
Lumbini All Stars recorded their third straight victory, while Kathmandu Knights registered second win in the Nepal T20 Cricket League here at the TU Stadium today.
The All Stars defeated Pokhara Avengers by three wickets, thanks to last-ball six from Shadley van Schalkwyk.
Batting first, the Avengers posted 133-9 in their allotted 20 overs before the All Stars reached 135-7. While the All Stars maintained their lead at the top of the table with maximum six points from three matches, the Avengers are on the verge of early exit with three defeats in a row.
Chasing a modest target, the All Stars lost Lairu Milantha (two) in the second over with just two runs on the board before Unmukt Chand (22) and Kushal Bhurtel added 56 runs for the second wicket. Bhurtel dominated the partnership and hit four fours and two sixes in his 28-ball 30. His departure in the ninth over ignited a mini collapse and it soon became 91-6. Anl Sah and van Schalkwyk took the team closer to victory with a 34-run stand for the seventh wicket.
Sah, who hit one each four and six in his 18-ball 19, was dismissed in the first ball of the last over at a time when the team needed nine runs to win the match. Van Schalkwyk and Kishore Mahato (one) took the team home with the former hitting Pratis GC for a six in the last ball. Van Schalkwyk remained unbeaten on 31 off just 11 balls that included four sixes. Bipin Khatri and Kushal Malla grabbed two wickets each for the Avengers.
Earlier, the Avengers made a slow start and were reduced to 20-2 in 8.2 overs before Kushal Malla and Upul Tharanga added 94 runs for the third wicket.
But they lost five wickets in the space of one run and could add just 17 runs in the last 14 balls before being folded.
Malla top scored with 61 off 31 balls with the help of five each fours and sixes, while Tharanga hit two fours and a six in his 51-ball 42. Player-ofthe-match van Schalkwyk took 3-27 from four overs while Mahato and Gulsan Jha grabbed two wickets each for the All the Stars.
In another match, the Knights defeated Janakpur Royals by 53 runs. The Knights scored a mammoth 208-6 in their allotted 20 overs before packing the Royals for 155 in the last ball of the match. The Knights made a flying start with openers Virandeep Singh and Lokesh Bam putting up 41 runs in 3.4 overs before Singh and Alex Blake added 62 runs for the second wicket. Blake and Azmatullah Omarzai shared a 43-run stand for the sixth wicket in just three overs to help their team cross 200- run mark for the first time in the tournament.
Player-of-the-match Blake top scored with 83 off just 43 balls hitting four boundaries and seven sixes, while Singh struck seven fours and a six in his 34-ball 49. Omarzai remained unbeaten on 43 off just 15 balls that included a four and four sixes. Bam hit two fours and a six in his eightball 15. Pawan Sarraf took two wickets for the Royals.
In reply, the Royals batsmen failed to build partnerships although a couple of them got good starts. Samiullah Shinwari was the top scorer with 27-ball 29, while Sundeep Jora (26) and Pawan Sarraf (24) were the other key contributors.
Omarzai was the pick of the Knights bowlers taking 3-25, while Basir Ahamad grabbed two wickets.
A version of this article appears in the print on December 28, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
