Himal Press 
Photo Courtesy: ICC
KATHMANDU: Nepal suffered an 86-run defeat against Australia in its last group-stage match of the 2024 ICC Women’s U-19 World Cup in Bangi, Malaysia, on Wednesday.
Batting first, Australia scored 136 runs for the loss of six wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Nepal struggled in the chase and could only manage 56 runs for the loss of eight wickets.
Although Nepal removed both Australian openers and the No. 3 batter with just 14 runs on the board, Caoimhe Bray and Eleanor Larosa scored 45 and 31 runs, respectively, to steady Australia’s innings. Hasrat Gill added 30 off 21 balls, while Chloe Ainsworth contributed 16 off nine to take Australia to 139.
Captain Puja Mahato claimed three wickets, while Seemana KC took two and Riya Sharma picked up one for Nepal.
Chasing 137 to keep its Super Six hopes alive, Nepal’s top order failed to give momentum. Sana Praveen and Sabitri Dhami scored 8 and 7, respectively, while Captain Puja Mahato managed 18 off 42 balls. Other Nepali batters failed to make a notable contribution, with Seemana KC falling for six and Alisha Yadav scoring nine.
Hasrat Gill, Juliette Morton, and Lily Bassingthwaighte claimed two wickets each for Australia, while Chloe Ainsworth took one.
Nepal had earlier lost to Bangladesh and Scotland in the group stage.
Speaking after the match, Nepali Captain Mahato said that Nepal failed to carry the momentum after picking up early wickets. “It was about not throwing away wickets and hanging in there, but it didn’t happen,” Mahato said. “We have learned a lot in this tournament, and it is only upwards and onwards from here.”
