Nepali bowlers almost pulled off an unlikely victory in the ICC U-19 World Cup qualifying match against Canada after a disastrous batting saw them crash to a lowly 106 runs at the Bready Cricket Club grounds in Northern Ireland today.
Nepal lost the match by three wickets after managing their tournament low 106 in 42.5 overs but Canada were made to struggle for runs. Canada could only reach the target with 10-balls to spare. It was the second defeat for Nepal after going down against Scotland.
The result meant Canada avenged their nine-wicket defeat during the 2002 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand. Kayle Edghill played a match-winning knock.
Nepal reduced Canada to 51-5 inside 23 overs but Edghill held firm to guide his team home with an unbeaten 52 off 133 balls. A 45-run stand for the sixth wicket between Edghill and Darren Ramsammy (10 off 70) had put Nepal in the backfoot but Sagar Pun reignited a slim hope by taking two wickets in two balls. Pun dismissed Ramsammy and Rayyan Pathan to reduce Canada to 97-7 in 45th over. But Edghill kept his cool and closed it out with his third boundary of the innings off Sagar.
Opener Nitish Kumar, who played three matches of the ICC World Cup in the Asian subcontinent earlier this year, made a quickfire 16 off 17 balls with three fours giving Canada a perfect start in their chase before a run out of another opener Akash Shah slowed down their proceedings.
Bhuwan Karki returned with an enviable figures of 10-4-10-2, while Rahul Kumar BK and Krishna Karki had one scalp each.
Earlier, Pradeep Airee top scored with 22 runs in a hapless Nepali batting performance. Nepal were indebted to 24 sundries that helped them cross the three-figure mark. Opener Faijlur Rahman (three) failed to impress once again and was trapped leg before by Trevor Manoosingh in the fourth over. Manny Aulakh had Naresh Budhayer (six) caught by Kesavan Jovarajan off Jobanjot Singh to make it 19-2 by the eighth over.
Rajesh Pulami and Sagar Pun resisted the Canada onslaught for next eight overs before Manoosingh broke the resilience getting rid of Rajesh. Sagar was Manoosingh’s second victim with his 59-ball innings yielding 15 runs.
Skipper Prithu Baskota fell to Juvarajan after scoring 10 runs and Manoosingh dismissed Nischal Pandey (two) as Nepal were reduced to 67-6 by the 26th over.
Middle-order batsman Pradeep tried to up the ante with the first and the only six of the match off Juvarajan before Bhuwan departed with a frustrating 25-ball duck falling prey to Juvarajan, who also got rid off Krishna Karki (naught). Pradeep was the ninth man out. Nepal will now take on Namibia at the Drummond Cricket Club on Thursday.
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