Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal defeated Bhutan by 298 runs in its fourth and final group stage match of the ACC Men’s U16 East Zone Cup 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday.
The victory meant Nepal progressed to the semifinal as the group winner. It will now face the 2nd-place team from the other group, Malaysia, in the semifinals on Thursday.
Batting first, Nepal scored 358 runs, losing five wickets in the allotted 50 overs, helped by Raunak Srivastav’s aggressive knock of 168 off just 132 balls. It then bundled out Bhutan for 60 runs in 32.4 overs.
Although Nepal lost openers Parimarjan Yadav (2) and Prashiddha Jaisi (7) cheaply, Shiwansh Bajgain (54) and Srivastav added 91 runs for the third wicket to steady the innings. After Shiwansh fell, Srivastav found support from Sugam Budhtahoki (35) and Joy Thapa (61 not out) as Nepal posted another massive total in the tournament.
Sangay Dorji claimed three wickets for Bhutan, while Tenzin Loday Jamtsho got a wicket.
Chasing 386, Bhutan lost wickets at regular intervals. Tshering Dawa scored 14, while Ugyen Kelzang Chophel contributed 10 runs. Other Bhutanese batters failed to reach double digits.
Captain Bipin Sharma took four wickets for Nepal, while Suyog Bhattarai and Sachin Bhatta claimed two wickets each.
