The Nepalese U19 Cricket Team clinched the title of ACC U19 Premier Cup defeating UAE by 19 runs (DLS method) on Tuesday.
In a rain-halted final match played at Bayuemas Oval, UAE U19 needed 198 runs from 27 overs after a revised DLS target. They were 50 for 2 after 11 overs when rain delayed a match.
Dhruv Parashar scored 49-ball 59 but that was not enough for his side. Aaryansh Sharma scored 32 runs while captain Aayan Afzal Khan also notched up 30 runs from 24 balls.
Aakash Tripathi was the game-changer for Nepal grabbing four wickets. Subash Bhandari grabbed three wickets whilst Aakash Chand pocketed two.
Earlier in the first inning, Nepal piled up a decent score of 280/8 after opting to bat first. Nepal had a fumbling start after losing two early wickets for just 14 runs.
Arjun Kumal and Dev Khanal then shared 125 runs for the third wicket. Arjun scored 55 runs from 78 balls before being dismissed. Dev Khanal completed his second ton of the tournament in 90 balls. He smacked nine sixes and three in the inning of 92-ball. Uttam Thapamagar also contributed a well-made 57 runs. Dipak Dumre added 28 runs while Dipesh Kandel scored seven-ball 10 runs at the end.
Harit Setty picked up five wickets for UAE U19. Aayan Afzal Khan grabbed two wickets while Ammar Badami grabbed one.
The Nepalese team registered a miraculous win against UAE U19 itself in the final of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier back in March 2023.
Nepal, UAE and Japan have qualified for the ACC U19 Asia Cup as the top three teams of the ACC U19 Premier Cup. The U19 Asia Cup will be played in December in Pakistan.
