KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 3
Nepal women's national cricket team defeated Bhutan by three wickets to register their third straight victory in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers at the UKM-YSD Cricket Oval in Bangi, Malaysia today.
Batting first, Bhutan posted a paltry 39-8 in their allotted 20 overs but Nepali batters struggled in reply and managed to reach 41-7 in 13.2 overs. Nepal had defeated hosts Malaysia and Bahrain in the previous two matches and they will face Qatar on Tuesday and wrap the group stage with a match against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
Despite chasing a low target, Nepal lost half of the team for just 16 runs inside six overs.
Opener Kabita Kunwar was bowled by Anju Gurung for a duck in the second ball of the innings, while Sita Rana Magar (eight), Ashmina Karmacharya (naught), Indu Barma (naught) and Samjhana Khadka (naught) were dismissed in the space of three runs.
Kabita Joshi and skipper Rubina Chhetry Belbashi added 15 runs for the sixth wicket before Nepal lost two more wickets in the space of five runs to be reeling at 36-7. Chhetry Belbashi finished the match with a four off Dechen Wangmo in the 14th over to ensure Nepal's third consecutive victory in the tournament.
Chhetry Belbashi remained unbeaten on 12 off 23 balls that included a four.
Anjuli Ghally was the pick of the Bhutanese bowlers taking 3-12 from four overs, while Tshering Zangmo grabbed 2-4 from two overs. Anju Gurung and Sonam Choden bagged one wicket each.
Earlier, Bhutan never recovered after Kabita Kunwar bowled Ngawang Choden in the first ball of the match. Skipper Dechen Wangmo scored 21off 44 balls hitting a four, while other batters failed to score in double figures. Five of the Bhutanese batters also could not open their accounts. Player-ofthe-match Puja Mahato was the pick of the Nepali bowlers taking 3-6 from three overs, while Kabita Kunwar, skipper Chhetry Belbashi and Khusi Dangol grabbed one wicket each.
Nepal are in Group A along with Bahrain, Bhutan, Malaysia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while Group B consists of China, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Myanmar and Thailand.
Top two teams from both groups will advance to the semi-finals, while the two finalists will earn berths in the global qualifiers.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 04, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
