Kathmandu : Nepal has entered the semi-final of ACC Men’s Premier Cup T20-2024. In today’s match held at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman, it defeated Hong Kong by eight wickets to secure its berth in the semi-final. Nepal, playing from Group ‘A’ in the group match, entered the semi-final ahead of one match. It collects six points to be at the topmost position of the Group.
Nepal won the opening match against Malaysia by five wickets and defeated Qatar by 32 runs in the second match. In today’s match, Nepal, which was chasing a 115-run target presented by Hong Kong, met the target in 12.2 overs at the loss of two wickets. Nepal’s Aasif Sheikh was the top scorer for the team, scoring 40 with three sixes and three boundaries in 18 balls. Similarly, Kushal Bhurtel hit 19 with three fours and two sixes in 19 balls. Captain Rohit Paudel was not out with 25 including three boundaries in 20 balls while Sundeep Jora was not out with 19 including one boundary and one six in 17 balls.
Ehsan Khan and Yasim Murtaza of Hong Kong took one wicket each. Hong Kong was invited to bat first by losing the toss and completed the first innings with 114 in 17.5 overs at the loss of all wickets. For the team, Anshy Rath was the top scorer with 34 including four boundaries and one six in 26 balls. Zeeshan Ali scored 14 and captain Nizakat Khan 12 followed by 11 from Ehsan Khan. No remaining players could hit score a double-digit. Towards bowling, Abhinash Bohora took three wickets followed by two each from Lalit Rajbanshi and Dipendra Singh Airee. Karan KC dismissed one batsman. Nepal will be meeting the Saudi Arabia for the last match of the group on April 17. —
