Kathmandu, July 5

Nepali U-19 cricket team thrashed Gurugram Sports Club of Delhi by 249 runs in the second practice match at the Gautam Buddha University Ground in Greater Noida, India today.

Opting to bat first, the Nepali team scored 338-9 in their allotted 50 overs before packing Gurugram Sports Club for a paltry 89 runs in 29.1 overs.

Nepal had a mediocre start with the bat as Aasif Sheikh (one) departed in the last ball of the fourth over with 21 runs on the board.

However, Aadil Khan and opener Sandeep Sunar shared a 75-run partnership for the second wicket to anchor the innings.

Aadil Khan top scored with 75 off 100 balls hitting two each fours and sixes, while Sandeep Sunar scored 47-ball 58 with the help of seven boundaries and a six.

The Nepali team was then reduced to 137-4 in 20.1 overs. But Khan shared another crucial partnership of 75 runs with Dipendra Singh Airee for the fifth wicket. Airee cracked five boundaries in his 57-ball 48.

Pawan Sarraf and Pranit Thapa Magar added 61 runs for the seventh wicket to help the team post a mammoth total. Sarraf scored 22-ball 47 hitting three boundaries and four sixes, while Thapa Magar scored 28 off 23 balls.

Gurugram Sports Club’s Himanshu Hari (2-77), Manish Rai (2-48) and Pratap Singh (2-42) shared six wickets among them, while Matvinder Singh took one wicket.

In reply, Gurugram Sports Club batsmen never threatened Nepali bowlers and fell cheaply. Pratap Singh top scored with 28 off 35 balls, while Akash Sisodhiya hit four boundaries in his 37-ball 18. Vivek Rai (15) and Arvind Kumar (11) also scored in double figures.

Pawan Sarraf returned to bag 4-18, and he was ably supported by Rohit Kumar Paudel (2-15) and Bikram Kumar Bhusal (2-3). Shahab Alam also claimed 1-12.

The Nepali youth team, which is in Greater Noida to prepare for the ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifiers for Asia Region, had defeated Friends Sports Academy by 121 runs on Tuesday.