The 49th match of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier between Nepal and Bermuda ended with Nepal cruising to a 21-run win at the ICC Academy grounds in Dubai on Saturday. With the win Nepal are handsomely placed third on Group B table.
Sent in to bat, Nepal got off to a steady start courtesy a 37-run partnership between Sagar Pun and Subash Khakurel, the opening batsmen, before Dion Stovell struck in the sixth over to dismiss Pun for 19. Pradeep Airee added 22 runs off 16 balls batting at No. 3 while Gyanendra Malla pitched in with a 22-ball 39 to take Nepal to a formidable total of 148 for 8 in its 20 overs.
Malachi Jones, Allan Douglas and Amal Bashir bagged two wickers each for Bermuda.
Bermuda’s chase was rattled by Avinash Karn and Jitendra Mukhiya, the medium pacers, who dismissed four batsmen inside the first four overs for just 15 runs.
Janeiro Tucker, the captain, was the only batsman to make a significant contribution with his 31-ball 48 as the remaining batsmen struggled to play the Nepal pacers, who picked up wickets at regular intervals. Karn and Paras Khadka picked up two wickets each but Mukhiya proved to be the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 3 for 25, as Bermuda were bowled out for 127 in 19.2 overs.
Mukhiya, who was named Man of the Match for his spell, was pleased with his performance. “I am very happy to be back among wickets as this was a must-win game for us. I am the strike bowler of the team so have to keep doing well for the team,” he said.
Reflecting upon the win, Khadka, the Nepal captain, said, “Everybody contributed today as a team we played very well. The batsmen got some good scores and most of our bowlers chipped in today with wickets, so overall very happy with the performance.”
