T20 World Cup for Blind: Nepal secure historic win over NZ

KATHMANDU: Nepal left a historic mark after Padam Bahadur Badaila hit nerve-wrecking unbeaten double tons to demolish New Zealand by 141 runs in the T20 World Cup for Blind played at the Karnataka State Cricket Association Ground in India on Thursday.

Badaila remained not out on 211 runs off just 90 balls with 36 hits to the boundary. He featured in an unbroken opening stand of 315 runs.

Likewise, Sobharam Dangi played second fiddle to Badaila's counter attacking knock, sensibly for his 53 runs off just 39 deliveries with four hits to the fence.

After Nepal were put on to bat first after losing the toss, opening batsmen Badaila and Dangi did not disappoint as Nepal posted a mammoth total of 315 in their allotted 20 overs. The batsmen let their guns blazing from the word go.

New Zealand bowlers toiled hard for a wicket as Nepali batsmen did not give any sniff chance to snare their wicket, instead smacked all over the park as their wayward bowling failed to maintain line and length.

New Zealand's bowlers never looked like taking a wicket as Badaila and Dangi batted fearlessly and took them at will.

In reply, New Zealand were folded for a paltry 174 with five ball to spare.

The Kiwis got off to a flying start as opening batsman Brett Wilson featured in an opening stand of 78 runs before losing another opening batsman Marquele McCaskill for 20 runs. New Zealand's run chase was jolted as star player of the day, Badaila, was featured in two run-outs of the Kiwis batsmen.

Wilson top-scored for the Kiwis with his 72 runs off 48 balls with eight boundaries.

New Zealand's hope of overhauling Nepal's mammoth total had evaporated with the loss of set batsman Wilson's wicket in the 13th over.

New Zealand were required to have further 182 runs with seven wickets in hand off 42 balls with a equation inclined towards Nepal's victory at that stage of the game.

After the loss of Wilson wicket, New Zealand innings collapsed in a dramatic fashion under the pressure as they lost remaining seven wickets for only 41 runs.

Nepal's Sunil Subedi Chhetri was the pick of bowlers with 4-32-0-2. Badri Chaulagain, Bikram Bahadur Rana and Kritan Shrestha Duwal also chipped in with a wicket each.

Badaila could not repeat the magic with the ball as he bowled 3 overs for 36 runs as he had done with the bat for his mesmerising innings off 211 runs.

Padam Bahadur Badaila was awarded the Man of-the Match trophy for his scintillating knock.

Earlier, Nepal had secured a shocking six-wicket win over South Africa before losing other seven matches back to back. Nepal bowed out of the tournament in style with an emphatic triumph over the kiwis.

Meanwhile, India will take on their archrival Sri Lanka in the first semi-finals on Friday. In the other semi-finals, Pakistan will play against England on Saturday.

The finalists will lock their horns for this year's T20 World Cup for Blind trophy at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, India on Sunday.