Kathmandu, December 31
Janakpur Royals registered their fourth, while Pokhara Avengers bounced back to winning ways to record their second straight victory in the Nepal T20 Cricket League here at the TU Stadium today.
The Royals defeated Biratnagar Super Kings by 49 runs riding on a brilliant knock from Samiullah Shinwari. The Royals posted 189-5 in their allotted 20 overs before restricting the Super Kings for 140-7. With their fourth win, the Royals accumulated eight points from five matches and are at the second place in the six-team table.
The Royals lost openers Trevon Griffith (19) and Pawan Sarraf (two) in the space of four runs with just 24 runs on the board, while Chadwick Walton (29) and Sundeep Jora (20) added 43 runs for the second wicket to revive the innings. The Super Kings hit back and reduced the Royals to 101-5 in 13.4 overs. But Shinwari had other ideas and dominated the unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 88 runs with Khadak Bohora (15).
Shinwari top scored with an unbeaten 78 off just 40 balls that included six each fours and sixes to lead the team to a big total. Hussain Talat and Surya Tamang took two wickets each for the Super Kings.
In reply, Gauranshu Sharma, Hussain Talat and Pradeep Airee got good starts but they could not convert them into big knocks as the Super Kings suffered their third defeat in five matches. Talat top scored with 20-ball 42 with the help of four boundaries and two sixes, while Airee hit two fours and three sixes in his 26-ball 36. Sharma contributed 33 of 36 balls that included three fours. Player-ofthe-match Shinwari returned to take 3-21 from four overs, while Lalit Rajbanshi grabbed two wickets for the Royals.
In another match, the Avengers stared early exit with five straight defeats but they bounced back strongly to record their second win and are tied on four points with Kathmandu Knights and the Super Kings. The Avengers beat Lumbini All Stars by nine wickets to end their five-match unbeaten streak. The All Stars were bowled out for a paltry 127 runs in 19.5 overs before the Avengers reached 128-1 with 10 balls to spare. Sheikh brothers, Aasif and Aarif shared a 95-run partnership for the unbroken second wicket after opener Sumit Maharjan (13) was dismissed in the fifth over. Player-of-thematch Aasif hit nine boundaries in his 62-ball 77, while Aarif contributed 37-ball 26 not out.
Earlier, the All Stars faltered for the first time despite openers Sunil Dhamala (15) and Harmeet Singh putting up 40 runs in 4.3 overs. Singh top scored with 21-ball 38 hitting three each fours and sixes, while Yogendra Singh Karki was the next best scoring 16.
Zahir Khan (3-18) and Bipin Khatri (3-23) shared six wickets for the Avengers, while Aarif Sheikh, Tul Thapa and Siddhant Lohani grabbed one each.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 1, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
