ACC U-19 Premier Cup: Nepal rout Malaysia, reach semifinals
Malaysia could only manage 51 runs in 17.2 overs.
KATHMANDU: Nepal dominated Malaysia in the ACC U-19 Premier Cup semifinals, setting up an easy 52-run target and dismantling their opponents with a clinical bowling performance.
At Ajman’s Seven District Ground-2, Nepal won the toss and chose to field first.
Malaysia, sent in to bat, collapsed to 51 all out in just 17 overs of their allotted 50, struggling against relentless Nepalese bowling.
The Malaysian innings began disastrously, losing five wickets for just 8 runs. Opener Ajib Wajdi scored 2, while Mohammad Hariz, Mohammad Heril, captain Diaz Patro, and Nageshwaran Sathnakumaran all fell for single-digit scores.
Subsequent wickets fell quickly, with Mohammad Akram scoring 1 and Mohammad Alif 4. By the time the seventh wicket fell, Malaysia had managed only 13 runs.
A brief eighth-wicket stand of 20 runs between Ashyarf Rifai and Muhammad Fatul offered some resistance, but Ashyarf was out for 6 and Fatul for 11. Hamza Pangi top-scored with 13 before being the last man out. Only two Malaysian batsmen managed double-digit scores.
Nepal’s bowlers were ruthless. Nitesh Kumar Patel took 4 wickets for 24 runs in 8 overs, Chandan Ram claimed 3 wickets for 17 runs in 5 overs, while Aparajit Paudel, Ashok Dhami, and Roshan Bishwakarma chipped in with 1 wicket each.
With this win, Nepal secured their third consecutive victory and topped the group, advancing confidently to the semifinals.
