Kathmandu, November 17

Nepal defeated Hong Kong by five wickets and claimed the title of the ACC U-19 Eastern Regional Tournament at the Club Aman in Kuala Lumpur today.

With the victory, Nepal also earned berth in the ACC U-19 Asia Cup to be held in Malaysia in November. The fifth title in the age-group tournament is Nepal’s first in 10 years. Nepal had last won the ACC Elite Cup in Malaysia in 2007. Previously, Nepal were the undisputed champions in the U-19 tournaments in 2001, 2003 and 2005. Current team head coach Binod Das was the skipper of the team that bagged the first trophy in 2001.

Batting first, Hong Kong were bowled for a paltry 76 runs in 32.1 overs before Nepal raced to 79-5 in 14.4 overs. Nepali bowlers once again dominated the show as Anil Kumar Sah gave an early breakthrough when he had opener Raag Kapur caught by Asif Sheikh for a duck in the fifth ball of the first over.

However, another opener Harpreet Singh, who top scored for Hong Kong with 20 runs, added 34 runs for the second wicket with skipper SS Jhathavedh (16). Singh and Jhathavedh both hit two boundaries each.

Sumit Maharjan ran out Jhathavedh in the 13th over, while Shahab Alam trapped Singh for leg before wicket in the next over. Alam then struck twice in the 16th over to do further damage to Hong Kong who were reduced to 49-5. Alam had Kabir Sodhi (three) caught by Sandeep Sunar in the second ball and trapped Wajid Shah Mohammad leg before the wicket for a duck in the fourth ball.

In between Waqas Khan, who scored 15 off 38 hitting a boundary, added 20 runs with Hamed Khan (five) for sixth wicket before Sandeep Lamichhane trapped Hamed Khan leg before the wicket in the last ball of the 25th over as Hong Kong struggled to add runs. Hong Kong then lost last four wickets for just seven runs.

Lamichhane returned with the figures of 3-8 from 6.1 overs, while Shahab Alam took 3-15 in seven overs. Anil Kumar Sah and skipper Dipendra Singh Airee claimed one wicket apiece.

In reply, Nepali batsmen struggled hard to achieve the target despite chasing a low total. Opener Asif Sheikh (one) was caught by Sher Yar Saeed off Karandeep Singh’s first ball of the third over with only 10 runs on the board.

Sandeep Sunar, who cracked four boundaries in his 21-ball 19, added 28 runs for the second wicket with Anil Kumar Sah, who scored 16 off 13 balls hitting three fours, to revive the innings. Hong Kong’s Karandeep Singh dismissed both the batsmen to reduce Nepal to 39-3 inside seven overs.

Skipper Airee and Pranit Thapa Magar added 24 runs for the fourth wicket to ensure Nepal’s victory. Airee top scored with 22 off 26 balls hitting four boundaries and Magar cracked a boundary and two sixes in his 18-ball 19 not out. Hong Kong’s Karandeep Singh claimed three wickets, while Jhathavedh took two wickets.

Coach Binod Das said the players knew that they would win the trophy if they perform to their potential. “I feel happy as the players could do so and lift the trophy,” said Das. “Now that we have qualified for the Asia Cup, we need to improve in some areas including batting,” he added. “The strength of the team was unity among players and I am happy that different players performed in different matches, especially in bowling. We can now fill the void in national team for at least next five years.”

Das said the team needed to prepare well for the Asia Cup. “It is a big opportunity for our players and the team needs to be supported throughout. As per our conversation with the officials here, the ACC is also positive in helping us for the Asian Cup. Our boys will get chance to perform in bigger level and that will ultimately help our cricket grow,” he said.

Asked about the feeling of winning the trophy as a coach, Das said he was proud of his boys. “That was the moment I felt proud of myself. But today I am feeling proud of my boys because they are the ones who took all the pressures and won the title. I had my own role in this event as well but it is the players in the field who did all the jobs to stand as champions,” said Das, who led the team to victory in 2001.

Skipper Airee said the Nepali batsmen were under pressure despite chasing a low target. “In the beginning the batsmen went for shots as per their wish and we came under pressure after losing a couple of wickets,” said Airee. “Now that we have qualified for Asia Cup, we need to work on fitness and batting if we are to do better. We are good in bowling and fielding,” added Airee.

Nepal’s Lamichhane, who was the highest wicket taker with 16 wickets, was named the player-of-the-series, while skipper Airee, who claimed 13 wickets, was the best bowler. Singapore’s Siddhant was declared the best batsman as he was the highest run-getter with 173 runs.