Kathmandu, September 3

Nepal finished second in the ACC U-19 Premier following a nine-wicket victory over Saudi Arabia at the Kelab Aman grounds in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

With the win, Nepal finished as runners-up with eight points, while Afghanistan won the trophy with maximum 10 points from five matches. Hosts Malaysia finished third with six points. A total of six teams participated in the round-robin league tournament. The top three teams qualified for the ACC U-19 Asia Cup.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to bat first backfired as they were bowled out for a paltry 55 runs in 33.2 overs. In reply, Nepal raced to 56-1 in nine overs. Sushil Kandel was the pick of the Nepali bowlers returning with the magical figures of 10-9-12-4 that also earned him the man-of-the-match award. Sunil Dhamala and Prem Tamang claimed two wickets each, while two Saudi Arabian batsmen were run out.

Opener Faisal Khan was the top scorer for Saudi Arabia with 19 off 14 balls that included two fours and a six, while Zain smashed a four and a six in his four-ball 11. Seven Saudi Arabian batsmen failed to score in double figures, while two players even did not open their accounts.

Chasing a low total, Nepal made quick start with openers Sunil Dhamala and Shankar Rana scoring 33 runs inside four overs before the latter was dismissed by Sami Munshi for four runs in the second ball of the fifth over. Dhamala hit three fours and two sixes in his quick fire 34 not out off 20 balls, while skipper Raju Rijal remained unbeaten on 12 off 20 balls that included two fours.

In other matches, Afghanistan registered a seven-wicket victory over hosts Malaysia, while United Arab Emirates defeated Kuwait by eight wickets.

In the match played at the Kinrara Academy Oval, Malaysia scored 105 runs in 49.1 overs before Afghanistan raced to 109-3 in 21.3 overs. At the Bayuemas Oval, the Kuwait were bowled out for 60 runs in 21.1 overs before the UAE reached 61-2 in 7.4 overs.