Nepal U-19 crushes Hong Kong by 9 wickets

KATHMANDU: Nepal U-19 continued their dominant run in the ACC U-19 Asia World Cup Qualifier, thrashing Hong Kong U-19 by 9 wickets on Wednesday at the Lower Mulpani Cricket Ground.

A brilliant bowling spell from leg-spinner Yuvraj Khatri, for the second consecutive match, restricted Hong Kong to just 115 runs in 46.2 overs.

In reply, Nepal chased down the 116-run target in just 12.3 overs, finishing at 118/1.

This marks Nepal’s third consecutive win in the tournament. Earlier, Nepal had edged UAE by 5 runs in a thrilling opener and convincingly defeated Oman by 8 wickets in their second match.

Yuvraj was once again the star with the ball, claiming 4 wickets for just 18 runs in his 10-over spell. He had also picked up 5 wickets for 17 runs in the previous match against UAE.

On Wednesday, he dismantled the Hong Kong batting lineup, including the prized wicket of top-scorer Shiv Mathur, who made 63 off 116 balls with 4 fours and a six.

Fast bowler Bipin Sharma, playing his first match of the tournament in place of Daya Nand Mandal, made an immediate impact.

The Emerging Player of the recent Nepal Premier League took 3 wickets for 24 runs in 6.2 overs, including a wicket in his very first over.

Left-arm spinner Santosh Yadav added 2 wickets for 20 runs in 10 overs, while Ashok Dhami chipped in with one.

Nepal’s reply was emphatic. Openers Niraj Yadav and Sahil Patel gave a flying start, adding 55 runs in just 6 overs.

Niraj smashed 23 off 12 balls with 4 fours before being dismissed, while Sahil top-scored with 42 off 41 balls, hitting 8 boundaries. Captain Naren Bhatta remained unbeaten on 39 off 23 balls, also striking 8 fours.

With this victory, the much-anticipated clash between Nepal and Afghanistan on Saturday is now being billed as a virtual final.

Both teams are unbeaten so far. Afghanistan too have registered big wins over Oman and Hong Kong, and posted a mammoth 359/4 against UAE at the Upper Mulpani Ground.

The five-team round-robin tournament includes Nepal, Afghanistan, UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong, with only the winner earning a spot in the ICC U-19 World Cup.