Jay Trophy: The departmental derby ends in a draw

cricnepal Staff

January 6, 2025, 2 min read

The opening match of the Jay Trophy Men’s Elite Cup between Nepal Police Club (NPC) and Tribhuwan Army Club (TAC) ended in a draw. No conclusive outcome was possible after two days of thrilling actions.

The match at Narayani Cricket Ground, Parsa, faced a delayed start as play was not possible in the first session of the opening day due to poor visibility. Nepal Police Club chose to bowl first under overcast conditions and dismissed Tribhuwan Army Club for 121 runs. Lalit Rajbanshi delivered a stellar performance, taking seven wickets with figures of 14.4-4-47-7. Kushal Malla was the top scorer for Army, contributing 25 runs.

In reply, Nepal Police Club managed to take a narrow four-run lead before being bowled out for 125. Shahab Alam displayed brilliant spin bowling, claiming eight wickets with figures of 15.1-2-59-8. Gulshan Jha was the standout batter for NPC, scoring 47 runs.

Sompal Kami delivered an outstanding performance in the second innings, scoring an unbeaten 82 runs as Tribhuwan Army Club secured a lead of 171. However, he lacked sufficient support from the rest of the lineup, and the Army were bowled out for 175 runs. Kushal Bhurtel was the pick of the bowlers for NPC, claiming four wickets.

Nepal Police Club needed 172 runs in the final session of the second day to win the match but finished at 88/4, resulting in a draw. Aakash Chand and Shahab Alam each took two wickets for Tribhuwan Army Club. Shahab, who achieved a 10-wicket haul in the match, was named Player of the Match. Arjun Saud played a resilient innings, facing 94 balls to help NPC avoid defeat, while Amit Shrestha contributed 36 runs.

The match ended in a draw, with each team earning one point. However, Police secured 14 bonus points while Army collected 13 bonus points. Consequently, Police finished the match with a total of 15 points, while Army ended with 14 points.