Kathmandu, July 16:

Nepal will face China in the semi-finals of the first ACC Women’s Cricket Tournament at the Johor Cricket Academy in Malaysia on Tuesday. The other semi-final pits Bangladesh and Hong Kong.

The Nepali players are on a high after their seven-wicket win over tournament favourites Hong Kong. After beating Thailand by 55 runs and drawing against hosts Malaysia, Nepal were up against Hong Kong in a must-win match to secure the semi-final spot on Sunday. And it was the bowlers again who hit the pitch on right time. The win put Nepal on top of Group A that also avoided the clash against Bangladesh, the only Test-playing nation of the event.

Skipper Nary Thapa and Neera Rajopadhyay are having good time with the ball so far. Nary took four wickets and Neera claimed two as they bowled out Thailand for 40 runs in reply to Nepal’s Nepal 95/8 in the first match. The duo claimed seven wickets — this time Neera taking four — against Malaysia, while they claimed three wickets each against Hong Kong. In total, they have taken 19 wickets, with the skipper ahead by one wicket in Nepal’s unbeaten run so far.

Nepali bowlers have conceded 36 extras in the first match, but improved by giving away just 15 wides in the second. Surprising, Nepal did not bowl a single wide ball in the third match against Hong Kong.

Batting, b\however, has been the worrying factor for Nepal. Except for Madhu Thapa who scored 36 against Thailand and 11 against Hong Kong, others have not been performing satisfactorily. Openers Ritu Kanaujiya and Manisha Rawal have not been able to take off the pressure from the middle order, except for their 29-run stand against Malaysia.

China opened their campaign with a 86-run defeat against Bangladesh, before a seven-wicket victory over UAE and 38-run win against Singapore. China were all out for 22 runs in reply to Bangladesh’s 108, while they chased UAE’s 51 losing three wickets and scored 112/6 before restricting Singapore to 74.