Himal Press 
Player of the Match Karan KC.
KATHMANDU: Nepal clinched its second consecutive victory in the Nepal Tri-Nation T20I Series with a comfortable six-wicket win over Hong Kong at the Mulpani International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Hong Kong batted first after losing the toss, but their innings crumbled posting a mere 94 runs in 19.3 overs. Nepal comfortably reached the target, losing four wickets with 37 balls to spare.
Hong Kong’s captain, Nizakat Khan, was dismissed on the very first ball of the innings, bowled by Karan KC. The visitor’s top-order faced a major collapse by the fifth over, with Hong Kong at a dismal 4-14. Yasim Murtaza and Zeeshan Ali provided some resistance to steer Hong Kong out of this crisis. Murtaza contributed a run-a-ball 36, while Ali scored 17 runs from 20 balls. Other Hong Kong batsmen failed to reach double digits.
Karan KC emerged as the standout performer among the Nepali bowlers, taking four wickets in his four-over spell conceding just 15 runs. Sompal Kami and Abinash Bohara also chipped in with two wickets each, while Kushal Malla and Mousam Dhakal claimed one wicket apiece.
Chasing a modest target of 94 runs, Nepal made a solid start by putting up 28 runs for the first wicket. While opener Kushal Bhurtel fell after contributing eight runs, the other opener, Aasif Sheikh, scored 42 runs off 34 balls. After Kushal Malla was dismissed after scoring just one run, Captain Rohit Poudel and Gulshan Jha batted sensibly to guide Nepal to victory. Paudel remained unbeaten on 25 runs from 20 balls, while Jha added 14 runs from just five balls, which included two sixes.
Ehsan Khan took three wickets for Hong Kong, while Yasim Murtaza claimed one wicket.
Nepal will play Hong Kong again on Saturday.
