In a disappointing turn of events, Nepal’s dream of reaching the semifinals in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 has been shattered due to persistent rain. The crucial league stage match between Nepal Women and Hong Kong Women on Saturday was abandoned without a single ball being bowled, leaving both teams knocked out of the tournament.
Nepal had high hopes riding on this match, as they needed a victory against Hong Kong and India A to beat Pakistan A by a substantial margin to book a spot in the semifinals. Unfortunately, the adverse weather conditions hindered their aspirations.
Sadly, this was not an isolated occurrence, as the tournament has experienced a total of six match cancellations caused by rain (Including this). This has only intensified the frustrations felt by both players and fans. The ongoing unfavourable weather conditions have overshadowed the tournament, with more cancelled matches as compared to completed matches.
Nepal gained the first point against India A after the match was called off. Nepal started the series with a nine-run defeat against Pakistan which was also halted for a certain time during the first inning.
India A and Pakistan A both have three points, each with a match to play against each other. Pakistan defeated Nepal, whereas India thrashed Hong Kong. Nepal’s match against India and Pakistan’s match against Hong Kong was abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain.
It is worth noting that Nepal’s participation in the tournament was made possible by Thailand’s withdrawal, citing visa complications.
Bangladesh A Women and Sri Lanka A Women have made their way to the semifinal from Group B.
