Kathmandu Nepal lost to West Indies by 73 runs today in the Blind T20 World and extended its losing streak to 7 matches.
West Indies won the toss and elected to bat at Aditya Global Sports, in a match restricted to 18 overs due to fog. West Indies Blind team made a competitive 237 runs losing three wickets. In reply, Nepal could only manage 164 runs without losing any wickets.
West Indies openers Haldane Forde and Gregory Stewart escorted the innings, both scoring half centuries. Forde scored 60 runs before falling to Sunil Subedi while Stewart carried his bat all the way to the end, making an unbeaten 87 runs.
Nepal came to bat with a different opening pair from that of previous matches, vice-captain Bikram Bahadur Rana replaced by Khem Gaire. Nepali batsmen seemed to have improved on the ailing running between the wickets but couldn’t score runs. The opening pair of Gaire and Ram Poudel started off well but after an initial surge, the Nepali inning silenced a bit primarily because opener poudel was retired hurt on 30. Bikram Bahadur Rana then joined Gaire and both remained not out till the end but could not score runs at the required rate.
Coach Ganga Prasad Pauded said his side’s chance of a win was ruined due to the disciplined bowling of the opponent into line and length. He also mentioned how this tournament has been a learning ground for Nepali Blind Cricket Team and cited improvement in running between the wickets in this match as the best example.
“This is not only a power game but a brain game as well,” added Paudel.
Nepal will face Pakistan on Monday at Central College Cricket Ground. Pakistan has already qualified for the semifinal winning all the matches in the league round.
