KATHMANDU, JUNE 22
Nepal made a winning start in the ACC Men's U-16 East Zone Cricket Tournament by defeating Singapore by six wickets at the UKM Oval Cricket Ground in Malaysia.
Chasing a target of 139 runs, Nepal reached the total in 33.3 overs, losing four wickets. Opener Prasiddha Jaisi top-scored with 55 runs off 97 balls, including five boundaries, while Rounak Shrivastav added 40 runs.
For Singapore, Akash Teza claimed three wickets and Yuvan Pandey took one.
Earlier, Singapore opted to bat first and were bowled out for 138 runs in 36.1 overs. Captain Riyan Nayak scored 53, with support from openers Ahaan Vudhanvam (38) and Roshan Arun (11).
Nepal's captain Bipin Sharma led the bowling attack with four wickets. Sachin Bhatt took three, while Shubham Khanal and Abhay Yadav took one wicket each.
With the victory, Nepal secured two points. The team will play its second group-stage match against Japan on June 24.
A total of 10 teams are participating in the tournament under the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) annual calendar. Nepal is placed in Group 'A' alongside Singapore, Indonesia, Bhutan, and Japan. Group 'B' features Malaysia, Hong Kong, Maldives, Thailand, and Myanmar.
