KATHMANDU, AUGUST 29
Nepal faced a seven-run defeat at the hands of Kenya in the fourth Twenty20 International match at the Nairobi Gymkhana grounds in Nairobi today.
Batting first, Kenya were bowled out for a paltry 101 runs in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to record-breaking five-wicket haul from skipper Sandeep Lamichhane. Nepal then surrendered meekly in front of home team attack and managed just 94-9 in reply.
With the win, Kenya levelled the five-match series 2-2. The final match is on Tuesday.
Chasing an easy target, Nepali batters faltered with vice-captain Rohit Poudel being the lone player to score in double figures.
Poudel fought the lonely battle scoring 47 off 54 balls hitting two each fours and sixes but he could not avert his side's humiliating loss.
In a horrible display of batting, 10 other batsmen added just 37 runs and Nepal got 10 runs in sundries. Nepal lost opener Pawan Sarraf in the first ball of the innings and they never recovered with wickets falling in regular interval.
Former skipper Gyanendra Malla, Arjun Saud and Dipendra Singh Airee added six runs each, while Aarif Sheikh, Sompal Kami, Aadil Ansari and Karan KC also fell cheaply.
Nepal's hopes were alive when Poudel was at the crease and they needed 12 runs from the last over. Nepal managed four runs in the first four balls before Poudel was dismissed in the next delivery.
Rakep Patel took 3-19, while Elijah Otieno and Vraj Patel grabbed two wickets each for the home team.
Earlier, Kenya recovered from a precarious position of 48-6 to reach three figures.
Tailender Lucas Oluoch top scored with a quick fire 33 off 18 balls that included three each fours and sixes.
Opener Collins Obuya contributed 20, while Shem Ngoche added 13. Skipper Lamichhane returned with 5-9 from four overs, claiming the best figures by a Nepali bowler in T20Is.
Karan KC had claimed the first five-wicket haul taking 5-21 against Papua New Guinea earlier this year. Aadil Ansari took two, while Shahab Alam and Dipendra Singh Airee bagged one wicket each.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 30, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
