Prime Minister (PM) Cup Women’s National Cricket Tournament kicked off in Kathmandu on December 21. Four matches were played on the first day, two each at TU Cricket Ground and Mulpani Cricket Ground.
Bagmati Province and Lumbini Province were victorious in the matches held at TU Cricket Ground whereas the Armed Police Force (APF) and Koshi Province bagged a win in the matches played in Mulpani.
Here is the summary of Day 1:
Bagmati triumph over Madhesh
Bagmati Province Women had a pleasant start to the tournament, defeating Madhesh Women by 28 runs in the first match played in Kirtipur. Bagmati posted 117/4 after a 72-run partnership between Yashoda Bist (47*) and Ashmina Karmacharya (31*). They were 45/4 in the 11th over but the duo successfully rescued a team.
In response, Madhesh could only score 89/5 after 20 overs. Puja Mahato who picked up two wickets earlier, scored 35 runs. Bagmati’s skipper Ashmina Karmacharya picked up two wickets and was adjudged player of the match.
APF get better of Sudurpaschim
APF women are off to a flying start, grabbing a nine-wicket win over Sudurpaschim women in the first match in Mulpani. APF chased a target of 88 runs in just 16.1 overs losing only one wicket. Jyoti Pandey was the star with 49* runs and also received a POTM award. Indu Barma also contributed 31* runs.
For the losing side, Kabita Joshi and Samjhana Khadka made 22 and 12 runs respectively whilst other batters couldn’t cross a double-digit score. Sonu Khadka (two wickets) and Karuna Bhandari (4-1-10-1) made a significant impact on the bowling.
Koshi register a cakewalk win over Karnali
Koshi Province women registered an easy win over Karnali Province women in the second match in Mulpani. Koshi took only 3.1 overs to chase a target of 34 runs. Rubina Chhetri hammered 17-ball 25 runs in the process.
Earlier, Karnali managed to post only 33/9 in the 16-over contest. Apsari Begam was adjudged POTM for her spell of 3-1-12-3. Alisha Khadiya also produced a spell of 3-0-3-2.
Lumbini bag a fighting victory over Gandaki
Lumbini Province women bagged a very crucial win over Gandaki Province women. They chased a target of 103 runs in 17 overs, losing six wickets. Laxmi Chaudhary played a knock of 42 runs and was awarded POTM. Gandaki conceded 23 extra runs which cost them two points.
In the first innings, Gandaki scored 102/4 in 20 overs. Sumoon Khatiwada smacked 18-ball 33 to boost the total after a sluggish start. Anjali Bishwakarma scored 30 runs from 51 balls.
