KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 12
Skipper Dev Khanal scored a scintillating century as Nepal thrashed Iran by 274 runs in the Group A match of the ACC Men's U-19 Premier Cup at the YSD UKM Oval in Bangi, Malaysia today.
Batting first, Nepal were bowled out for 353 runs in 40.1 overs before packing Iran for a paltry 79 runs in 30.5 overs.
Nepal lost Arjun Kumal (naught) in the second ball of the innings before Aakash Tirpathi (three) was dismissed as they came under early pressure at 10-2 in four overs.
Opener Deepak Bohara and skipper Khanal revived the innings with a 166-run partnership for the third wicket. Khanal scored a quick fire 100 off just 60 balls with the help of 12 fours and four sixes, while Bohara hit five boundaries and two sixes in his 5-ball 65. After they were dismissed in the space of nine runs, Dipak Prasad Dumre and Dipesh Kandel added 81 runs for the fifth wicket to take the match away from Iran.
Wicketkeeper Dumre struck eight boundaries and two sixes in his 44-ball knock scoring 69 runs, while Kandel scored 22- ball 29 with the help of three fours and a six. Hemant Dhami (23), Akash Chand (19) and Subash Bhandari (18 not out) also chipped in valuable runs. Dadrahman Raeisi and Salman Niazmand grabbed three wickets each for Iran, while Zeid Raeisi and Samaan Sheikhi bagged two apiece.
In reply, only two Iran batters scored in double figures. Amer Khorsand top scored with 37 off 22 balls that included four and five sixes, while Saber Ebrahimipour contributed 11. Subash Bhandari (3-6) and Dipesh Kandel (3-4) shared six wickets between them for Nepal, while Hemant Dhami (2-19) and Akash Chand (2-27) grabbed two wickets each.
Nepal will face Bahrain on October 15 and take on Saudi Arabia in the last group round match on October 19. The United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and China are in Group B, while Singapore, Kuwait, Thailand and Maldives are in Group C.
Likewise, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia are in Group D. Top team from all four groups will make it to the semi-finals, while top three teams will earn berths in the U-19 Asia Cup to be held later this year in Pakistan.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 13, 2023, of The Himalayan Times
