The Nepalese Under-19 cricket team made a remarkable start to the ACC Men’s Under-19 Premier Cup by securing a massive victory. In their opening match at YSD UKM Oval, Bangi, Nepal convincingly defeated Iran Under-19 by a staggering margin of 274 runs.
Nepal posted a formidable total of 353 runs on the scoreboard when they batted first, and subsequently, they quickly dismissed the Iranian team for a mere 79 runs.
Spinners Dipesh Kandel and Subash Bhandari were the pick of the bowlers for Nepal, grabbing three wickets each. They finished with a terrific spell of (7-3-4-3) and (8.5-4-6-3) respectively. Pacers, Hemant Dhami and Akash Chand also grabbed two wickets each.
Only Amer Khorsand (37 runs) and Saber Ebrahimipour (11*) managed to cross a double-digit score for the losing side. Iran were 53/3 at one stage but lost the other seven wickets for just 26 runs.
Earlier in the first inning, Nepal posted 353 runs on the board before losing all ten wickets in just 40.1 overs.
Nepal had a fumbling start losing two early wickets. Arjun Kumal (Golden duck) and Aakash Tripathi (3) were sent back cheaply as Nepal were 10/2 in the fifth over. Dev Khanal and Deepak Bohara then set a foundation of 166 runs for the third wicket. Khanal who smacked a half-century in 33 balls completed his ton in 59 balls and was dismissed in the very next ball. He hammered 12 fours and 4 sixes in his blistering inning. Swiftly, Bohara also followed him to the pavilion after scoring a 59-ball 65.
Dipak Dumre was the next star batter as he notched up 69 runs from just 44 balls. He hammered eight fours and two sixes. Dipesh Kandel added 22-ball 29 before Nepal lost three quick wickets.
The Nepalese side were on the verge of being wrapped up under 300 runs as they were 291/8 in the 33rd over. However, Nepal’s tail showed a significant display and helped the team post 353 runs. Number nine, 10 and 11 batters – Subash Bhandari, Hemant Dhami and Akash Chand contributed 18*, 23 and 19 runs respectively.
For Iran, Dadrahman Raeisi and Salman Niazmand picked up three wickets each. Samaan Sheikhi and Zeid Raeisi pocketed two wickets each. Iranian bowlers conceded 26 extra runs.
