Lalit Rajbanshi could set a unique record in ODI on the reserve day of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup. Nepal vs UAE’s clash was called off on Monday and pushed to reserve day on Tuesday.
Rain first interrupted the match while UAE were 60 for the loss of five wickets in 16 overs. After a short delay, play resumed, and Nepal were able to bag another four wickets in eleven odd overs before rain halted again. With UAE 106/9 in 27.3 overs, no further play was possible after continuous rain.
Lalit Rajbanshi dismissed Asif Khan and Zahoor Khan in two successive balls in the 28th over. He was on a hattrick while the rain got bigger and play was abandoned. As the play resumes from where it was stopped, Rajbanshi has a chance to complete a hattrick in two days of play, becoming the first bowler to do so in an ODI.
New batter Junaid Siddique will face Rajbanshi’s hat-trick ball. No Nepali player has picked up a hat trick in ODI so far.
The play will start at 9:00 AM (NST), and the winner of the match will qualify for this year’s Asia Cup and join India and Pakistan in Group A, which will take place in September.
