Prime Minister Cup Men’s National Tournament’s sixth match-day produced some exciting results. Another day another Province team defeated the departmental side. Sudurpaschim continued their winning run whilst Gandaki’s struggle also continued.
Four half-centuries were scored whereas two fifers were taken in Thursday’s fixture. Here’s what happened on the sixth day of the PM Cup:
Koshi Province vs Tribhuwan Army Club – Mulpani
Koshi: 88/10 (24.4 overs)
TAC: 92/1 (9.5 overs)
TAC won by 9 wickets
Army came back strong after being defeated by Bagmati in the previous match. Invited to bat first, Koshi were 70/2 at one stage but a sudden collapse saw them wrapped up for just 88 runs. They lost eight wickets for 18 runs. Skipper Ankit Subedi who scored 41 was the only batter to cross the double-digit score. Shahab Alam picked up a brilliant six-wicket haul (6.4-3-14-6), which is also the best figure so far in the tournament. Kushal Malla also picked up two wickets.
Army took no time to chase the mere target. Openers Imran Sheikh and Santosh Karki scored 32 runs each whilst Kushal Malla scored an electrifying seven-ball 22 and finished the match with a six.
Sudurpaschim Province vs Gandaki Province – Bhairahwa
Sudurpaschim: 201/10 (50 overs)
Gandaki: 93/10 (30.2 overs)
Sudurpaschim won by 108 runs
Sudurpaschim Province continued their winning run and defeated Gandaki. Asked to bat first, Sudurpaschim scored 201 runs thanks to Kiran Thagunna’s 60 runs. Narayan Joshi also made a crucial 46 runs. For Gandaki, Bipin Khatri produced a sublime spell of 10-4-9-3. Ankit Neupane also grabbed three wickets.
In response, Gandaki were bowled out for a mere 93 runs. Only Aswani Rana (25) and Kamal Pariyar (22) managed to cross double-digit scores. Sher Malla produced a fifer (8.2-1-23-5) for Sudurpaschim. Gandaki are winless after three matches.
Armed Police Force vs Madhesh Province – Kirtipur
APF: 246/9 (50 overs)
Madhesh: 247/5 (48 overs)
Madhesh won by 5 wickets
Invited to bat first, APF posted a decent total of 246 runs. Aasif Sheikh (59) and Rohit Paudel (58) scored a half-century whereas Amar Singh Routela made a vital 49* runs. Rupesh Singh and Pradip Paswan picked up three wickets each for Madhesh.
APF lacked a pacer after Avniash Bohara’s injury in the first innings. Madhesh took full advantage of it and secured a win. They chased a target with two overs spare. Rupesh Singh scored a run a ball 72 runs to seal a win. Pawan Sarraf (64) runs and Niraj Yadav (52) also played a crucial role in the chase scoring a half-century.
