The hosts set semi-final date with Kuwait; Oman to face UAE
Kathmandu, April 27
Sandeep Lamichhane starred with the bat and ball as Nepal defeated Qatar by 68 runs in the ACC Premier Cup here at the TU Stadium today.
Batting first, Nepal were bowled out for 157 runs in 40.3 overs, thanks to Lamichhane's unbeaten 42 runs. The legspinner then returned to take five wickets to help the home team pack Qatar for 89 runs in 25.1 overs. Nepal, who had already advanced to the semi-finals, topped Group A with seven points, while Oman finished second with six. At Mulpani grounds, Kuwait shocked Hong Kong by 30 runs to earn a place in the semi-finals after they finished behind the United Arab Emirates in Group B.
UAE topped the group on better net run rate after they were tied on six points with Kuwait.
Nepal will face Kuwait, while Oman will play against the UAE in the semi-final matches on Saturday. The final is slated for May 1 with the winning team earning a berth in the Asia Cup, while the top three teams will qualify for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
Invited to take first strike, Nepal made a disastrous start losing opener Kushal Bhurtel (two) and Bhim Sharki (six) with just nine runs on the board. Aasif Sheikh and skipper Rohit Paudel added 48 runs for the third wicket before Nepal lost wickets at regular interval and they were reeling at 111-9 in 28 overs.
Paudel scored 27 off 36 balls hitting two fours, while Sheikh contributed 19 with the help of two boundaries. Sompal Kami (11), Kushal Malla (three), Aarif Sheikh (11), Dipendra Singh Airee (12) and Gulshan Jha (seven) all faltered with the bat as the home team lost seven wickets in the space of 54 runs.
Lamichhane helped Nepal put up a respectable total on the board after he dominated the 46-run partnership for the last wicket with Lalit Rajbanshi (one). Lamichhane struck six boundaries in his unbeaten 42 off 58 balls before Rajbanshi - who faced 17 balls - was trapped leg before the wicket by Amir Farooq, who returned with 4-42. Owais Ahmed took 3-36 and Gayan Munaweera grabbed 2-38 for Qatar.
In reply, Qatar struggled to play freely against the Nepali attack. Player-of-the-match Lamichhane completed five-wicket haul taking 5-14 from 9.1 overs and he was ably supported by Sompal Kami (3- 24) and Lalit Rajbanshi (2-27).
Only three Qatar batters were able to score in double figures with Khurram Shahzad and Zaheer Ibrahim contributing 15 each.
In another match, Kuwait posted 272-8 in their allotted 50 overs and packed Hong Kong for 242 in the last ball of the innings. Player-of-the match Shiraz Khan (67) and Usman Patel (50) scored half centuries for Kuwait, while skipper Nizakat Khan top scored for Hong Kong and Aizaz Patel scored 49.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 28, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
