Kathmandu, Aug 20: Nepal secured a 33-run victory against Melbourne Renegades Academy (MRA) in its fifth match of the Top End T20 Series underway in the Northern Territory of Australia. This marks Nepal’s second consecutive win in the tournament.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss at Darwin’s Cazalys Arena in Palmerston, Nepal posted a total of 139 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the 20 overs. In reply, MRA was bowled out for 106 runs in 20 overs.
For MRA, Arjun Nair was the top scorer with 26 runs, followed by Jai Lemire with 18, and Harry Dixon with 16.
Towards bowling, Nepal’s Sompal Kami starred with five wickets. Kushal Bhurtel and Rupesh Singh took two wickets each, while Dipendra Singh Airee and Shahab Alam claimed one.
On the batting front, Kushal Malla led Nepal’s scoring with 29 runs off 22 balls, including one boundary and one six. Dipendra Singh Airee added 27 runs off 28 balls, and Lokesh Bam contributed 24 from 16 balls. Bhim Sarki scored 17, while Arif Sheikh and Rupesh Singh each made 12.
For MRA, bowlers Fergus O’Neill, Lachlan Bangs, Callum Stow, and Michael Archer took two wickets each. Prior to this match, Nepal had played four games in the Series by winning one and losing three.
