ACC U-19 Premier Cup: Nepal enters final

Kathmandu, Oct 21: Nepal has secured its spot in the final of the ACC U-19 Premier Cup Cricket Tournament. In the semi-final match held in Malaysia, Nepal defeated Japan by 144 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method. With its entry to the final, Nepal has been qualified to play the U-19 Asia Cup to be held in Pakistan. The rain affected the match when Nepal had scored 140 runs at the loss of two wickets in 25 overs. As the rain continued to delay the game, the stipulated 50 overs were reduced to 22, with setting a target of 187 runs for a victory for Japan. In reply, Japan scored 43 runs in 11.5 overs by losing all the wickets. No players from Japan except Shotaro Hiratsuka (15) and Kiefer Yamamoto (13) could strike a double-digit score. Nepal's Hemant Dhami and Dipesh Kandel took three wickets each, while Subash Bhandari took two, and Akash Chand took one wicket. Deepak Bohora was the top scorer for Nepal, making 79 runs with 10 boundaries and two sixes in 70 balls. Similarly, Deepak and Akash Tripathi partnered for 93 runs for the second wicket. Akash played with 35 while Arjun Kumal made 10 runs and Dev Khanal eight. Nepal will meet the UAE for the final on October 24. The UAE reached the final by defeating Singapore in another semi-final match. --- Before their batting, Nepal had set a target of 140 runs, losing two wickets in 25 overs.