KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 4
Nepal women's national cricket team recorded fourth consecutive victory and advanced to the semi-finals of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers at the UKM-YSD Cricket Oval in Bangi, Malaysia today.
Nepal defeated Qatar by nine wickets for their fourth win in a row. Batting first, Qatar posted 74-7 in their allotted 20 overs before Nepal raced to 75-1 with more than nine overs to spare. Nepal will play against the United Arab Emirates in the last group stage match on Wednesday.
Unlike previous match against Bhutan when Nepal struggled to chase a 40-run target, Nepal openers Kajal Shrestha and Sita Rana Magar made a flying start putting up 47 runs in seven overs. Shrestha, who scored a quick fire 32 off 28 balls with the help of four boundaries, was the lone Nepali wicket to fall after she was bowled by Sabeeja Adiyeri Panayan in the last ball of the seventh over.
Rana Magar and Indu Barma took the team without further loss with a 28-run partnership for the unbroken second wicket. Barma remained unbeaten on 20 off just 12 balls that included three boundaries, while Rana Magar scored 23- ball 17 not out.
Earlier, top four Qatar batters scored in double figures. Saachi Dhadwal top scored with 21 off 44 balls with the help of a boundary, while opener Aleena Khan scored 25-ball 15. Angeline Mare remained unbeaten on 14 off 18 balls that included two boundaries, while skipper Aysha scored 10.
Indu Barma was the pick of the Nepali bowlers taking 3-10 from four overs, while Puja Mahato and Kabita Joshi 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.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 05, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
