The Nepal U19 Women’s team faced their first defeat in the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier, falling to their arch-rival UAE by 13 runs.
Four teams are competing in a crucial tournament being held in a double round-robin format, with the tournament winner earning a spot in the World Cup.
Nepal, chasing a target of 123, ended their 20 overs at 109/5. Puja Mahato hit a strong 48 off 43 balls, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. Sana Prabeen and Sony Pakhrin each added 19 runs, while Jyotsnika Marasini contributed a run-a-ball 11.
Earlier, the UAE, after choosing to bat first, posted a total of 122/7 in the alloted 20 overs. They were on track for a substantial score at 78/2 in 11 overs, but Nepal’s bowlers performed exceptionally well in the remaining overs, allowing just 44 runs and taking five wickets.
Nepal got off to a strong start, taking a wicket in the first over. UAE found themselves at 12/2 by the fourth over, but Lavanya Keny and Rinitha Rajith built a solid partnership of 66 runs for the third wicket. Lavanya scored 20, while Rinitha smashed 48 off 33 balls.
For Nepal, Riya Sharma was a pick of a bowler with a figure of 4-0-15-3. Puja Mahato, Krishma Gurung and Seemana KC picked up one wicket each.
Nepal will play against Thailand in the next match on 10 November. Nepal will need to win remaining matches by a good margin to surpass UAE in the points table.
Related stories
Nepal fall short in Women’s Under-19 World Cup
Nepal end the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup with a win
Australia dominate Nepal to seal convincing win in final group stage match
Australia sets Nepal a challenging target of 140
Nepal suffers a heartbreaking defeat against Scotland in U19 Women’s T20 World Cup
