Nepal A faced a narrow defeat in their historic first-ever match on Sunday. Canada XI defeated Nepal A by four wickets in a close contest at Mulpani Cricket Ground.
Chasing a target of 217 runs, Canada XI were 8/2 after the departure of Aaron Johnson (2) and Srimantha Wijeyeratne (5). Dilpreet Bajwa (8) and Harsh Thaker (0) were dismissed by Shahab Alam in consecutive balls as they were 45/4 after the powerplay.
Navneet Dhaliwal and Nikhil Dutta then shared 75 runs for the fifth wicket. Dhaliwal who hammered 76-ball 80 was adjudged Player of the Match. He smashed 10 fours and two sixes which changed the match scenario for Canada. Nikhil stayed till the end and ensured his team’s victory. He scored 67 runs from 115 balls with five fours and one six. Saad Bin Zafar and Shreyas Movva also contributed 23 runs each with Shreyas remaining unbeaten. Canada completed the chase in 49.3 overs.
For Nepal, Shahab Alam picked up two wickets whilst Rashid Khan, Pratish GC, Basir Ahamad and Sagar Dhakal grabbed one wicket each.
Earlier, Invited to bat first at Mulpani Cricket Ground, Nepal posted 216/8 after the end of the allotted 50 overs. Nepal lost opener Arjun Kumal for four in the eighth over. Mayan Yadav then was dismissed, scoring 35 runs from 56 balls with four boundaries and one six.
Skipper Binod Bhandari (4) and Sundeep Jora (14) walked back swiftly. Rashid Khan and Kiran Thagunna shared a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Rashid walked back for 40 runs. Kiran also was dismissed for 25 after a couple of overs.
Bibek Yadav and Basir Ahmed set a foundation of 59 runs from the seventh wicket to guide Nepal towards a respectful total. Bibek Yadav scored 21 runs whereas Basir batted till the end and scored the first half-century for the Nepal A side. He scored an unbeaten 50 from 55 balls with three fours and one six.
For Canada, skipper Saad Bin Zafar was a pick of a bowler. He grabbed three wickets and ended with a figure of 10-1-30-3. Ishwarjot Sohi despite being expensive, picked up two wickets whilst Nepal batters faced difficulties in playing Harsh Thaker (10-2-22-1).
