By a sraff reporter
Kathmandu – With a nine-wicket victory over Qatar, Nepal have qualified for the semifinals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers. Nepal registered four wins on the trot and made it to the final four with a game in hand.
Chasing a target of a mere 75 runs, Nepal batted only 10.3 overs to reach the target at the loss of only one wicket. Opener Kajol Shrestha scored 32 off 28 runs with four boundaries in the win for Nepal. Indu Barma made 20 off 12 and remained unbeaten while opener Sita Rana Magar scored 17 off 23 to get her team over the line.
Earlier, Qatar, who were put into bat after losing the toss, managed to score 74 runs at the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Saachi Dhadwal scored 21 runs off 44 with one four for Qatar but her contribution wasn’t enough for the win. Opener Aleena Khan made 15 off 25, Angeline Mare made 14 off 18 and Aysha made 10 off 18. Other batters couldn’t get to double figures.
Indu Barma took three wickets off four overs at the expense of ten runs. Kabita Joshi and Puja Mahato took one wicket each.
Nepal, in group A, defeated Malaysia, Bahrain and Bhutan prior to the win today. Nepal will take on UAE in the final group match on Wednesday. That match will decide the group leaders and runners-up.
The top two will make the semifinals and the finalists will qualify for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Global Qualifiers.
