Himal Press 
File Photo
KATHMANDU: Nepal secured a thumping 274-run victory against Iran in the U-19 ACC Premier Cup held in Malaysia on Thursday.
Invited to bat first after losing the toss, Nepal, helped by Captain Dev Khanal’s 5-ball century, scored 353 runs, losing all wickets in 40.1 overs. Nepal then bundled Iran for 79 runs in 30.5 overs.
Nepal lost opener Arjun Kumal for a duck. Its No. 3 batsman Aakash Tripathi also departed in the fifth over with just 10 runs on the board. However, opener Deepak Bohora and Captain Khanal built a solid partnership to put early setbacks behind. Bohora scored 65 runs from 59 balls, which included five fours and two sixes. Khanal was more aggressive of the pair, as his knock included 12 fours and four sixes.
Wicketkeeper Dipak Prasad Dumre scored 69 runs from 44 balls while Dipesh Kandel scored 29 runs from 22 balls. Tailenders Subash Bhandari, Hemant Dhami, and Akash Chand chipped in with 18 runs, 23 runs, and 19 runs, respectively.
Dadhrahma Raeisi and Salman Niazmand took three wickets each for Iran, while Zeid Raeisi and Saman Sheikhi each chipped in with two wickets.
Iran started brightly in the chase, adding 36 runs for the first wicket. However, it lost wickets at regular intervals thereafter and perished in the 31st over. Opener Amer Khorsand top-scored for Iran with a 22-ball 37. Saber Ebrahimipur remained not out with 11 runs. Other Iranian batters failed to reach double digits.
Subash Bhandari and Dipesh Kandel each took three wickets for Nepal, while Hemant Dhami and Akash Chand took two wickets each.
Nepal will play its next match against Bahrain on Sunday. Nepal is placed in Group ‘A,’ which also consists of Saudi Arabia.
