Kathmandu, January 5
Janakpur Royals and Far West United registered victories in the NepalT20 Cricket League here at the TU Stadium today.
The Royals defeated Pokhara Avengers by six wickets in a low-scoring match for their sixth win. With 12 points from nine matches, the Royals sealed the playoffs berth and are certain to finish in top two. Batting first, the Avengers were bowled out for a paltry 68 runs in 12 overs before the Royals raced to 70-4 with 66 balls to spare.
The Royals openers Sharafuddin Ashraf and skipper Trevon Griffith put up 57 runs in 5.5 overs before they lost four wickets in the space of seven runs to be 64-4 with the team needing just five runs to win the match. Ashraf dominated the partnership scoring 37 off 27 balls hitting three each fours and sixes, while Griffith struck three boundaries in his 13-ball 17. Kushal Malla took three wickets for the Avengers, while Asitha Fernando grabbed one.
Earlier, the Avengers batsmen failed to build partnerships and lost wickets at regular interval. Siddhant Lohani was the top scorer with 10-ball 17 that included two sixes, while Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Malla contributed 16 runs each. Player-of-the-match Sompal Kami was the pick of the Royals bowlers with the figures of 3-8 from two overs, while Sharafuddin Ashraf (2-4) and Lalit Rajbanshi (2-6) shared four wickets between them. Jitendra Mukhiya, Trevon Griffith and Pawan Sarraf bagged one wicket each.
In another match, the United hammered Kathmandu Knights by 83 runs. The united posted 197-4 in their allotted 20 overs before restricting the Knights for 114-9.
The United made flying start with openers Hashmatullah Shahidi and Binod Bhandari putting up 157 runs in 16.3 overs. Skipper Shahidi struck five fours and four sixes in his 57-ball 76, while Bhandari scored a quick fire 73 off 44 balls that included six boundaries and five sixes.
After losing four wickets in the space of nine runs, Karan KC and Umair Ali added 31 runs from the last two overs for the unbroken fifth wickets.
KC hit three sixes in his eightball 22, while Ali remained unbeaten on seven. Basir Ahamad took 3-24 for the Knights and Abinash Bohara grabbed one wicket.
In reply, the Knights batters faltered. No 8 batsman Kamal Airee was the top scorer with 20 off 21 balls that included two sixes, while skipper Gyanendra Malla and Sandeep Rajali contributed 17 runs each. Karan KC, Durgesh Gupta and player-of-the-match Hashmatullah Shahidi grabbed two wickets each for the United, while Sher Malla, Prakash Jaishi and Milinda Siriwardana took one apiece.
With one match to play, Lumbini All Stars are assured of top spot in the six-team table with 16 points, while the Royals are second on 12 points. The Knights are at the third place with eight points, while Biratnagar Super Kings are fourth on six points from eight matches. The Avengers have six points from nine matches, while the United are at the bottom with four points from eight matches.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 6, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
