KATHMANDU, JULY 19
Kushal Bhurtel took five-wicket haul and scored a half century as Nepal defeated the United Arab Emirates by three wickets in the last group stage match of the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup at the P Sara Oval in Colombo today.
Batting first, the UAE 'A' were bowled out for 157 runs in 44 overs, while Nepal raced to 159-7 in 23 overs. Nepal and UAE 'A' had already crashed out from Group B after facing defeats against India 'A' and Pakistan 'A'.
Chasing a modest target, Nepal lost Arjun Saud in the first ball of the innings before Bhurtel and Dev Khanal added 98 runs for the second wicket.
Bhurtel dominated the partnership scoring 71 off just 43 balls that included nine boundaries and four sixes.
Khanal struck four boundaries in his 38-ball 24.
After the dismissals of Bhurtel and Khanal in the space of five runs, Nepali batsmen struggled and lost wickets at regular interval.
But they managed to take the team home, thanks to 21- run partnership between Sundeep Jora and skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel for fourth wicket, and 25-run stand for fifth wicket between Paudel (nine) and Gulshan Jha (11).
Jora struck a four and two sixes in his 15-ball 24. PratisGC struck two fours including the winning boundary in his three-ball eight not out. Mohammed Faraazuddin took 5-36 for the UAE 'A', while Mohammad Jawadullah grabbed two wickets.
Earlier, Bhurtel was an unlikely hero with the ball as Nepal restricted the UAE 'A' to below-par total.
Bhurtel became the first player from senior team to take five-wicket haul and score half century. The part-time spinner returned with 6-40 from 10 overs, while legspinner Shyam Dhakal grabbed 2-44. Kushal Malla and Pawan Sarraf bagged one wicket each.
Opener Lovepreet Singh top scored for the UAE 'A' with 52 off 82 balls hitting six fours and a six, while other batters failed to make significant contribution. Ethan Dsouza was the next best at 18.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 20, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
