Nepal began their campaign in the ACC Premier Cup 2024 with a victorious start by defeating Malaysia by five wickets.
Chasing a target of 144 runs, Nepal successfully chased it down in 19.2 overs with the loss of five wickets. Gulshan led Nepal’s victory with 19 runs, including one boundary and two sixes, while Sandeep Jora was out for 12 runs. Captain Rohit Paudel was caught out for 28 runs, including one six, in 24 balls. Opener Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel provided a steady start, contributing 49 runs in 7.5 overs. Kushal Bhurtel scored 24 runs, including three boundaries, before being caught out by spinner Pawan Deep Singh.
Aasif Sheikh scored 32 runs with four boundaries, while Kushal Malla was out for 7 runs. Dipendra was caught out for 20 runs, including two boundaries and one six, in 11 balls.
For Malaysia, Virandeep Singh took three wickets, conceding 35 runs in 4 overs. Pawan Deep Singh and Mohammad Waqif took one wicket each.
Earlier, after winning the toss at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground 1, Malaysia scored 143 runs, losing three wickets in 20 overs. Captain Virandeep Singh played a crucial innings, scoring the highest 68 runs off 55 balls with three boundaries and four sixes.
Opener Virandeep Singh and Mohammad Amir contributed 35 runs in 5.1 overs. Amir was bowled out by Dipendra for 16 runs.
Then, Sharvin Muniandy and Virandeep Singh shared an 82-run partnership for the second wicket. Sharvin Abinash was bowled by a yorker from Abinash Bohara, scoring 41 runs off 33 balls with three boundaries and two sixes.
Nepal’s Dipendra took 2 wickets, conceding 14 runs in 4 overs, while Abinash Bohara took 1 wicket, conceding 28 runs in 4 overs. Today in Group B, Oman defeated Bahrain by 3 runs, while UAE defeated Kuwait by 7 wickets. Nepal will play against Qatar on Saturday. The winner of the 10-team tournament will qualify to play in the Asia Cup.
