Thursday, February 13

Nepal clinches the title of ACC Premier Cup; confirms spot in the Asia Cup

By a Staff Reporter

Kathmandu – Nepal has secured a spot in the Asia Cup after winning the title of the ACC Premier Cup defeating UAE by 7 wickets at the TU Cricket Ground in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

The final, which was originally scheduled for Monday, was halted midway due to heavy rain in the capital. UAE was at 106/9 in 27.3 overs before the match got halted.

On Tuesday, the match resumed from the same situation, and UAE lost their final wicket in 33.1 overs, accumulating 117 runs. Lalit Rajbanshi, who led Nepal’s bowling attack yesterday, claiming 3-5, sent Junaid Siddique off.

Later, Nepal had a sluggish start with the bat on a gloomy day. Nepal lost both their openers early for 1 and 8 runs, respectively. Skipper Rohit departed early too, collecting just a single run. Nepal then got into a pitiful situation of 22/3.

The thousands of fans at the TU Cricket ground then witnessed Gulsan Jha and Bhim Sharki sharing the 96 runs partnership for the unbroken fourth wicket, which confirmed Nepal’s victory.

The 17-year-old allrounder Gulsan’s top-notch performance helped Nepal clinch the title in front of the home crowd. Gulsan smashed 6 sixes and 3 fours to collect the highest of 67 runs off 84 deliveries for the champions. In addition, Bhim Sharki contributed 36 runs off 72 deliveries with 4 fours.

UAE’s Rohan Mustafa picked up 2 wickets while Aayan Afzal Khan grabbed a wicket.

With the victory, Nepal has confirmed its spot in the Asia Cup, which will be held in Pakistan later in September. The team and its fans are thrilled with this achievement, and they hope to continue their momentum in the upcoming tournament.

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