KATHMANDU: Nepal defeated the Maldives by five-wickets and secured a bronze medal in men's cricket of the ongoing 13th South Asian Games held in Kathmandu, on Monday.

After winning the toss, Nepal opted to field first and restricted Bhutan to a paltry score of 94/9 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Nepal cantered to victory with five wickets and 23 balls to spare at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur today.

Playing for the bronze medal in the presence of home supporters, man-of-the-match Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi produced a magical spell of 4-0-6-3 and tormented Bhutan's innings with ease.

Aarif Sheikh top-scored for Nepal with 32 runs off 28 balls including three fours and a maximum before being run-out in the 11th over.