By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – Bangladesh defeated Nepal by a big margin of 154 runs in their opening match of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup on Friday.
Chasing a mammoth target of 298 for victory at the Sarjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE, Nepal were all out in 42.3 overs with 143 runs on board. Nepal’s tailender Gulshan Jha top-scored for the team with 35 runs off 28 balls which included four boundaries. Bivek Rana Magar contributed 33 runs off 60 balls for Nepal. No other batsman performed well during the match.
Mohammad T. Hasan bowled out Nepal’s opener Arjun Kumal in the fourth ball of the second over to give an early setback to Nepal. He also bowled out Nepal’s captain and the main batsman Dev Khanal in the eight over for 12 runs to pile pressure on the team. Nepal were struggling for 23-3 in the ninth over after Santosh Karki was sent to the pavilion by Bangladesh captain Rakib-ul Hasan.
Wicketkeeper Arjun Saud scored 15 runs off 38 balls before he was caught out. Nepal then lost two wickets in the 31st over. Spinner Banshidhar Ahmed was dismissed after scoring 8 runs off 42 balls. He was followed by Bivek Rana Magar. Nepal were struggling for 81-6 in the 31st over when Bivek Yadav and Gulshan Jha provided some resistance with a 60-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Yadav was caught out after scoring 26 runs off 34 balls which included three boundaries and a six.
Mohammad Hasan, Rakib-ul Hasan, MS Hasan and Rohaman Noyon took two wickets each.
Earlier, Bangladesh who won the toss and opted to bat first, posted a total of 297 runs for four wickets in the allotted 50 overs. Bangladesh’s top-order batsman Mohammad Prantik Navaroj Nabil (not out) scored 127 runs off 112 balls including 11 boundaries and a six. Nabil was a member of the Bangladesh squad that won the U-19 World Cup in 2020. Middle-order batsman Mohammad Fahim retired hurt after hitting 58 runs off 54 balls that included three boundaries and three sixes.
Nepal will play their second match against Sri Lanka on Sunday. Nepal has to defeat Sri Lanka to finish among the top two teams in the group to qualify for the semifinals.
India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UAE are in Group A while Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Kuwait have been drawn in Group B. The semifinals will be held on December 30 and the final is scheduled for December 31.
