KATHMANDU, Jan 2:
Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) registered a 29-run victory over Nepal Sports Journalist Forum (NSJF) in a friendly match held on Monday. Winning the toss, CAN opted to bat first and scored 183 runs losing eight wickets in the allocated 20 overs. Former national captain Raju Khadka scored 51 runs off just 19 balls, including four huge sixes and five boundaries, before retiring hurt.
Sunil Man Amatya scored an unbeaten 35 off 37 balls with four boundaries. Amatya too retired hurt. Maheshwar Shrestha and Kiran Rana scored 13 runs each for CAN.
Durga Nath Subedi grabbed two wickets while Asim Subedi and Ritesh Rijal grabbed a wicket each for NSJF. In the run chase, NSJF did not have a good start as it lost the first wicket with 20 runs on board. Opening batsman Asim Subedi gave away his wicket after scoring a run-a-ball 11.
Ujjwal Acharya was also dismissed cheaply scoring 11 runs off 17 balls. Another opener Durga Nath Subedi and Nepali cricket coach Pubudu Dassanayake then gave some hope to NSJF with a 82-run partnership for the third wicket, but it was not enough for victory.
Subedi was out scoring 56 runs off 50 balls including seven boundaries, while Dassanayake remained unbeaten on 47 runs off 38 balls with four boundaries. National selector Bijay Sharma, CAN General Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakurel and Maheshwar Shrestha grabbed a wicket each for CAN. Raju Khadka adjudged the man-of-the-match for his outstanding half-century.
