Nepal lost the first-ever final at the home turf as Singapore lifted the ACC U-16 Elite Cup on Tuesday.
Singapore with the trophy. Photo by Bikash Karki/myrepublica.com
Singapore scored 146/6 in 40 overs and bowled out Nepal for 78 runs in 22 overs for a 68-run win.
Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) announced a 20-member preliminary squad for the ACC Trophy Elite Cup cricket tournament scheduled for March 29 to April 9 in Kuwait.
The selection committee headed by Arun Kumar Satyal named Paras Khadka the skipper.
Nepal entered the final of the ACC U-16 Elite Cup defeating Malaysia by 32 runs at the TU Ground.
For a change, Dipendra Chand was named man of the match for scoring 43 to help Nepal reach 162 in 39.5 overs after electing to bat first. Bibek Chaudhary and Rajiv Shah each grabbed three wickets to bowl out Malaysia for 130 in 38.1 overs.
Nepal will now meet Singapore in March 16’s final at the TU Ground. Singapore beat Hong Kong by 133 runs at the IOE Ground to march into final.
Nepal will meet Malaysia in the semifinal of the ACC U-16 Elite Cup as Malaysia finished runners-up of Group A defeating Thailand by 175 runs at the IOE Ground.
Singapore qualified as the Group A winners defeating Saudi Arabia by 5 wickets at BSAM Ground while Hong Kong made into the last four with a 94-run win over Kuwait at the TU Ground.
For 15-year-old Nischal Pandey, the ACC U-16 Elite Cup is already a big success. His third man of the match award winning performance helped helped Nepal enter the semifinals with a 85-run victory over Bahrain at the BSAM Ground.
The Chitwan boy scored 74 helping his team reach 206/9 in 40 overs after choosing to bat first and took five wickets with his left-arm spin to restrict Bahrain for 121/9.
Team Nepal celebrates a wicket. Photo by NepalSportsPhoto.com
In Group A matches of the day, Singapore outplayed Thailand for a 175-run victory at TU Ground to put a leg in the semifinals. Malaysia beats Saudi Arabia by six wickets as leaving all three teams having chances of proceeding forward.