Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) and Gandaki Province won their respective matches of the PM Cup Men’s National Cricket Tournament on Sunday.
Gandaki earned their first win in four matches with a 43-run defeat over the Neal APF Club, while TAC climbed to the top of the table with a three-wicket win over Bagmati Province.
Gandaki vs Nepal APF
Batting first in Match No. 17, which was reduced to 21 overs, at the Lower Mulpani Ground, Gandaki scored 150 for the loss of seven wickets. In reply, Nepal APF folded for 107 runs in 18.3 overs.
Gandaki’s top-three batters added 112 runs in 16.4 overs. Gaurav BK top-scored for the side with a 36-ball 37, while Deepak Dumre made 34 from 27 balls and Arjun Kumarl scored 25 off 20 balls. Although Gandaki lost Cibrin Shrestha for a duck, Dinesh Budhamagar scored 19, and Captain Bipin Khatri made an unbeaten 20 off 14 balls.
Abinash Bohara claimed three wickets for Nepal AFP, while Kamal Airee, Yuvraj Khatri, and Avishek Gautam picked up one each.
In reply, Nepal APF batters faltered in the chase of 151 runs. Openers Lokesh Bam and Aasif Sheikh could make only 14 each, while Captain Rohit Paudel fell for 3, Dipak Bohara made six, and Sundeep Jora was out for eight. Sumit Maharjan (22), Kamal Airee (17), and Avishek Gautam (14) all got starts but failed to convert into big scores.
Aprajit Paoudel and Cibrin Shrestha claimed three wickets each for Gandaki, while Subash Bhandari picked up two, and Kamal Pariyar chipped in with one wicket.
TAC vs Bagmati
Fielding first in Match No. 18, reduced to 28 overs, at the Mulpani Cricket Ground, TAC restricted Bagmati to 208 runs for the loss of seven wickets. They then achieved the target in the second last ball of the innings.
Ashutosh Ghiraiya top-scored for Bagmati with a 36-ball 38. Pawan Thapa scored 35, Bibek Magar and Sonu Devkota made 30 each, while Pratis GC scored 28. Similarly, Captain Sandeep Lamichhane remained not out at 21, while Shubh Kansakar scored 15.
Naren Saud claimed four wickets, while Shhab Alam, Durgesh Gupta, and Basir Ahamad picked up a wicket each for TAC.
Kushal Malla top-scored for TAC in the chase with an unbeaten 90 off 58 balls. He struck eight sixes and three fours in his magnificent knock. Opener Trit Raj Das scored 90, Naren Saud made 26, and Arjun Saud contributed 14 for TAC.
Ishan Pandey and Bibek Magar picked up two wickets each for Bagmati, while Rijan Dhakal, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Sonu Devkota contributed a wicket each.
