KATHMANDU: Nepal registered a 61-run victory over Himanchal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) in their second practice match organised by the Indian cricket board at the Dharamshala cricket grounds on Monday.

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Invited to take the first strike, Nepal scored 122-7 in 20 overs before packing the hosts team for a paltry 61 runs in 14.3 overs. Nepal made a bad start losing openers Subash Khakurel (five) and Sagar Pun (four) to be 17-2 in five overs. It soon became 47-6 by the 12th over as they kept on losing wickets at regular intervals.

But vice captain Gyanendra Malla had other ideas. Malla and Sompal Kami shared a 38-run partnership for the seventh wicket to post a respectable total on the board. Malla remained unbeaten on 52 off 47 balls that included two fours and a six, while Kami scored 23-ball 24 hitting three fours. Gurwinder Singh claimed two wickets, while Raghav Dhawan and Akash Sharma took a wicket each for the local side.

In reply, the HPCA batsmen failed to negotiate Nepali seamers and they were reduced to 21-4 inside five overs. Kami dismissed openers Abhimanyu Rana (nine) and Raghav Dhawan (four) along with skipper Amit Kumar (naught), while Karan KC accounted for Akul Raj (one).

Sumeet Verma and Vikrant Singh tried to consolidate the innings with a 23-run partnership for the fifth wicket but Jitendra Mukhiya struck twice in the same over to end the local side’s comeback bid. Mukhiya dismissed Singh (10) Parween Thakur. After the Nepali fielders affected two run outs, Shakti Gauchan, who came in place of Basanta Regmi, took the wicket of Verma for 18 runs to wrap up the victory.

Kami was the pick of the Nepali bowlers taking 3-18 from four overs, while Mukhiya and Gauchan claimed two wickets each. The Nepali team is in India in a 15-day tour — hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India — to prepare for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers slated for July 6-26 in Ireland and Scotland. The team is scheduled to return home

on June 20 before leaving for UK three days later for final preparations.