Baluwatar Cricket Club Reach Finals of Kathmandu Senior Team Selection Cricket

Cricnepal/ Kathmandu: Baluwatar Cricket Club defeated Kathmandu Khel Mandal(KMM) by 54 runs in the first semi final of Kathmandu Senior Team selection Cricket tournament, played today at Tribhuwan University International Cricket Ground to reach the finals.

Winning the toss and batting first Baluwatar posted a competitive 193 runs, thanks to half centuries from opener Rabin Joshi and Prakash Bista in the allocated 40 overs losing 7 wickets. KKM Niraj Basnet picked up 3 wickets.

Before falling to Basnet (103-4) in the thirty fourth over, Rabin Joshi made a steady 54 runs playing 92 balls and scoring only one boundary. The fifth wicket partnership between Prakash Bista and Bijay Gautam took the game away from KKM, the pair adding 77 runs in just 29 balls. Prakash got out to Basnet with 56 of as many balls in the 39^th over. Basnet bowled Bijay Gautam in the fifth ball of the same over, Gautam made 24 runs of just 16 balls. Basnet ended up with figures of 8-58-3. Manish Gupta got two wickets for KKM and ended with impressive figures of 8-28-2.

KKM started the chase with good intent, the openers adding 30 runs 5 overs. Keshav Raj Pant drew the first blood for Baluwatar, Keshav Raj Pant bowled for 13 of 16 balls. Niraj Bhattarai then joined Niraj Basnet in the crease, and the pair added 24 runs in 17 balls, before Niraj Basnet 14 got out, once again bowled, to Bijay Gautam in the first ball of ninth over. It was all downhill from there for KKM, as Baluwatar tightened the screws, the runs dried and the next 10 overs added only 14 runs and in the end were folded for mere 139 runs in the 36^th over. Niraj Bhattarai added fighting 28 runs of 37 balls, before falling to Bijay in 19^th over.

Keshav Raj Pant and Bijay Gautam picked two wickets each for BALUWATAR, as Indra Kamal Manandhar ran through KKM’s lower middle order. Suman Uday picked up the other wicket.

Baluwatar will take on the winner ‘s of the  second  semifinal match between Mahavir Club and South West Cricket Club, scheduled tomorrow at TU International Cricket Ground. The match starts at 9 am.