Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Lokesh Bam’s aggressive century went in vain as Nepal A suffered a 21-run defeat against Ireland A in the first match of the three-match T20 series at the TU International Cricket Ground on Friday.
Invited to bat first after losing the toss, Ireland A posted a mammoth total of 222 runs for the loss of five wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Chasing 223 runs to win, Nepal A was all out for 201 runs with three balls to spare.
Peter Moor top-scored for the visitors with a 32-ball 49, while Cade Carmichael and Captain Neil Rock contributed 38 each. Stephen Doheny struck 34 from just 16 balls, and Gareth Delany and Gavin Hoey were unbeaten on 30 and 18 runs, respectively.
Kamal Singh Airee took three wickets for Nepal, while Sagar Dhakal and Aarif Sheikh each had a wicket to their names.
Although Nepal added 43 runs for the first wicket, it was soon down 68/3 as Binod Bhandari (16), Dev Khanal (0), and Arjun Gharti (3) fell cheaply. However, opener Lokesh Bam formed a 121-run partnership with Aarif Sheikh to take Nepal close to victory. Bam scored 106 from just 56 balls, which included nine fours and eight sixes, while Sheikh contributed 49 runs from 26 balls. Nepal lost its last six wickets for just 12 runs after their partnership broke and eventually folded for 201 runs.
Fionn Hand and Matthew Humphreys took three wickets each for Ireland A, while Matthew Foster contributed two wickets. Thomas Mayes and Gavin Hoey each had a wicket to their name.
