Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) recorded its third win in as many games in the PM Cup Men’s National Cricket Tournament, defeating Karnali Province by 127 runs on Thursday.
Batting first at Extratech Oval in Bhairahawa, the departmental side scored 262 runs for the loss of nine wickets as Trit Raj Das (69) and Captain Binod Bhandari (56) struck their first half-centuries of the tournament. In reply, Karnali folded for 135 runs in 37.1 overs.
Although TAC lost opener Santosh Karki (11) cheaply, Trit Raj and Bhim Sharki (40) took the score to 119/2 by the midpoint. Basir Ahamad scored 36, and Sompal Kami contributed 13. Other TAC batters failed to reach double digits.
Prakash Jaishi claimed four wickets for Karnali, while Dinesh Adhikari took three, and Sunil Dhamala had two wickets to his name.
Karnali’s top order crumbled in the chase as it lost six wickets with only 23 runs on the board. Tailenders Prakash Jaishi and Dinesh Adhikari played valiant knocks of 50* and 22 runs, respectively. Bipin Rawal and Bipin Shahi contributed 23 and 12, respectively.
Shahab Alam claimed three wickets for TAC, while Sompal Kami, Aakash Chand, and Kushal Malla contributed with two wickets each.
Lumbini vs Gandaki
Lumbini Province defeated Gandaki Province by 14 runs in Match No. 11 of the PM Cup on Thursday.
Batting first at Siddharth Cricket Stadium in Bhairahawa, Lumbini scored 217 runs, losing all wickets in 49.5 overs. In reply, Gandaki could score only 203 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the allotted 50 overs.
Although Lumbini openers Mrinal Gurung (38) and Manish Thapa (24) added 39 runs for the first wicket, Aakash Tripathi (3) fell cheaply. Captain Dev Khanal scored 33, while Prajjwol Thapa contributed 72 off 79 balls to push Lumbini’s score beyond 200. Biprason KC also chipped in with 25 runs.
Amrit Gurung took three wickets for Gandaki, while Chandra Paudel and Bipin Khatri claimed two wickets each, and Subash Bhandari, Kamal Pariyar, and Vansh Chhetri claimed one wicket each.
Gandaki began the chase with intent as Muskan Thapa (24) and Arjun Kumal (62) added 40 runs for the first wicket. Although Subhash Bhandari contributed 30, and Amrit Gurung and Kamal Pariyar chipped in with 24 and 15, respectively, Gandaki fell 14 runs short of the target.
Nirmal Gurung claimed three wickets for Lumbini, while Biprason KC secured two, and Ramesh Kumri and Nar Sarki had one wicket each to their names.
Nepal APF vs Madhesh
Kamal Singh Airee’s all-round performance helped Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) Club defeat Madhesh Province by two wickets in Match No. 13 of the PM Cup.
Batting first at Deukhuri Cricket Stadium in Lamahi, Madhesh was all out for 168 runs in 40.4 overs. Although Nepal APF wobbled in the chase, it managed to scrape through thanks to tailender Airee’s 28 off 31 balls, which included three towering sixes.
Although Madhesh added 31 for the first wicket, it lost wickets in quick succession and was down to 43/4 in the 16th over. Captain Anil Sah scored 17, and Mayan Yadav contributed 11, while Harishankar Shah and Rohan BK fell for 5 and 4, respectively. Although Pawan Sarraf scored a run-a-ball 77, he didn’t find support from the other end.
Airee claimed four wickets, while Bhuwan Karki and Rohit Paudel had two wickets each, and Abhishek Gautam had one wicket to his name.
Despite chasing a low total, Nepal APF lost wickets in quick succession and was down to 92/6 by the 18th over. Aasif Sheikh scored 34, while Lokesh Bam and Rohit Paudel chipped in with 18 and 11, respectively. However, Sumit Maharjan played a sensible knock of 35 off 18 balls, while Amar Rautela and Airee contributed 16 and 28, respectively.
Kamal Gupta claimed four wickets for Madhesh, while Pradip Paswan had two, and Rupesh Singh and Harishankar Shah contributed with one wicket each.
