Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal suffered its second defeat in as many games in the 2024 U-19 World Cup, conceding a five-wicket loss to Pakistan in East London, South Africa, on Wednesday.
Batting first after winning the toss, Nepal scored 197 runs losing all wickets in the allotted 50 overs. Pakistan chased the target, scoring 201 runs with the loss of five wickets in 47.4 overs.
Opener Bipin Rawal top-scored for Nepal with 39 runs from 68 balls which included four fours and one six. Deepak Dumre, captain Dev Khanal, and Subash Bhandari contributed 26, 23, and 20 runs, respectively. Gulsan Jha and Dipesh Kandel scored 18 and 13 runs, while Akash Chand remained not out at 16 runs off 11 balls.
Nepali batters got starts but failed to build strong partnerships. The 37-run partnership between Bipin Rawal and Dev Khanal was the highest in the Nepali inning.
Arafat Mihas took three wickets for Pakistan, while Ubaid Shah and Ahmed Hussain claimed two wickets each. Khubaib Khalil, Mohammad Zeeshan, and Ali Asfand contributed with one wicket each.
Pakistan made a solid start in the chase as its openers Shamyl Hussain and Shahzaib Khan added 80 runs for the first wicket. Shamyl scored 37 runs from 59 balls while Shahzaib hit 37 runs from 70 balls. Although loss of two wickets pegged Pakistan back, Azan Awais scored a beautiful half-century to steer Pakistan’s chase. The left-handed batter scored an unbeaten 63 runs from 82 balls, including six fours. He got support from Ahmad Hassan and Haroon Arshad, who scored 29 and an unbeaten 15, respectively.
Aakash Chand took three wickets for Nepal, while Dipesh Kandel and Aakash Tripathi contributed a wicket each.
Nepal will play its next match of the World Cup against Afghanistan, who, like Nepal, has lost its first two matches. The winner of the match will qualify for the Super Six along with New Zealand and Pakistan.
