Nepal has qualified for the ACC Championship after a resounding seven-wicket win on Monday over Hong Kong in its penultimate match of the ACC Premier League at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Nepal’s third win in four matches put it level on six points with leader Afghanistan and third-placed Oman, with only net run rate separating the three teams. Afghanistan beat Oman by five wickets at the Kinrara Academy Oval on Monday to go top and end the latter’s winning spree in the tournament, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) climbed one spot to fourth with a six-wicket victory over Malaysia in another match.
The result ensured Afghanistan, Nepal and Oman’s qualification for the ACC Championship, the first two-day championship which is to be organized by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), scheduled for December in the UAE, with a match in hand.
The last round of matches on Wednesday will determine the group winner as well as the fourth team to qualify for the ACC Championship. Nepal will face arch-rivals Afghanistan, while Oman will take on the UAE and Malaysia will play Hong Kong.
Chasing 182 runs for victory, Nepal was set a revised target of 144 runs in 38 overs under the Duckworth Lewis method due to rain interruption at 27.4 overs. Nepal met the target in 34.1 overs losing three wickets to avenge the 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Hong Kong in World Cup Qualifiers in New Zealand this January.
Earlier, new pace sensation Sompal Kami performed brilliantly with the ball to bowl out Hong Kong for 181 runs in 41.5 overs. Nepal had won the toss and opted to bowl. Kami claimed four wickets for 34 runs in his seven overs.
Sompal’s brilliant bowling notwithstanding, Hong Kong opener and man-of-the-match Irfan Ahmed posed a serious threat to Nepal as he raced to 106 runs off 115 balls smashing 10 fours and three sixes. He was caught by Shakti Gauchan off Basanta Regmi in 42 overs as the last Hong Kong wicket to fall.
However, Irfan received little support from the others, with Waqas Barkat (16), Nizakat Khan (17), wicketkeeper skipper Jamie Atkinson (11) and Roy Lamsam (18) the only other batsmen to reach double figures.
Besides Sompal, Basanta pocketed three wickets and Aarif Sheikh two wickets in a row in the 21st over.
Though Nepal lost its wickets in the regular interval during the run chase, all batsmen came up with even contribution. Nepal’s opener Naresh Budhayer contributed 41 runs and skipper Paras Khadka scored highest 43 runs in the innings remaining unbeaten.
Other opener Subash Khakurel, dismissed for 16 runs played 38-run partnership for the first wicket with Naresh. Vice-captain Gyanendra Malla was dismissed for 15 runs as second wicket with 56 run on board.
Naresh played patient knock of 41-run 86-ball, hit six boundaries before he was caught in 25.2 over as the third wicket.
Skipper Paras and Sharad Vesawkar guided Nepal to victory remaining unbeaten. Paras hit four to Ehsan Nawaz in the first delivery of 35th over as Nepal required one run for the victory. Paras hit six fours in his 52-ball inning while Sharad scored 19 run off 33 ball.