Nepalese Women’s U-19 Cricket Team have bagged their second win in the ongoing ICC Women’s U-19 Cricket World Cup Asian Qualification. Nepal defeated Bhutan by 4 wickets in their third match at Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur. Nepal defeated Qatar by 79 runs in the first match followed by a pitiful loss against the UAE.
Chasing a total of 67 runs, Nepal lost Sneha Mahara for a duck in the first over itself. Despite a regular wicket fall Sanu Rajbanshi anchored the inning and led Nepal towards victory. Sanu scored unbeaten 30 runs from 32 deliveries with 5 boundaries.
Apart from Sanu’s match-winning knock, Sana Praveen and Shristi Jaishi assisted 12 and 8 runs respectively. Kiran Kunwar, Ashma Pulami Magar, and skipper Kritika Marasini were unable to do any special with the bat.
Sangay A Wangwo picked up 3 wickets for Bhutan conceding 22 runs from 4 overs. Anjuli Ghalley and Sonam also pocketed 1 wicket each.
Nepal will play their fourth and fifth match against Thailand and Malaysia on June 7 and 9 respectively. Despite the equal points, UAE are on top of the table surpassing Thailand on net run rate. The team claiming the top spot in Asian Qualification will grab the ticket to South Africa.
Earlier in the first inning, Bhutan managed to score 66 runs losing 9 wickets in the allotted 20 overs after opting to bat first. Skipper Ngawang Choden yielded a fine start for Bhutan sharing 20 runs with Sonam for the first wicket. However, Nepal were able to control run flow after Choden’s dismissal for 11 runs. SA Wangmo and Pema Wangchen assisted 11 and 9 runs respectively. Nepalese bowlers bowled 10 extras throughout the inning.
Manisha Kumari Upadhaya was the pick of a bowler for Nepal as She grabbed 2 wickets conceding just 3 runs from her 4 overs quota in which 2 were maiden overs. Anu Kadayat and skipper Kritika Marasaini also bagged a couple of wickets each. Two batters ran out while Sneha Mahara grabbed one wicket.
No team have been able to bowl out Bhutan so far in the tournament. They have played the allotted 20 overs in all three matches against the mighty UAE, Thailand, and now Nepal.
