KATHMANDU: Nepal suffered its second defeat in as many games in the 2024 U-19 Asia Cup, losing to Bangladesh by five wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the UAE on Sunday.
Batting first, Nepal was bowled out for 141 runs in 45.4 overs. Bangladesh chased down the target in 28.4 overs, losing five wickets.
Akash Tripathi top-scored for Nepal with 43 off 77 balls. Uttam Magar and Abhishek Tiwari both scored 29. The rest of the Nepali batters struggled, with two getting out for ducks.
Al Fahad, Iqbal Hossain Emon, and Rizan Hossan each took three wickets for Bangladesh, while Saad Islam, Md Rafi Uzzaman Rafi, and Azizul Hakim claimed one wicket each.
Zawad Abrar and captain Azizul Hakim both scored half-centuries as Bangladesh reached 142 runs. Zawad scored 59 off 65 balls, while Hakim remained unbeaten on 52 off 72 balls. Farid Hasan took one wicket.
Yuvraj Khatri took four wickets for Nepal, and captain Hemant Dhami claimed one.
This defeat ends Nepal’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals. Bangladesh, on the other hand, advanced to the semi-finals with two wins from two matches. In its first match, Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by 45 runs.
Nepal will play its final Asia Cup match against Afghanistan on Tuesday.
Himal Press
01 Dec 2024
