Nepali bowling earned it an emphatic win over Kuwait in its first match at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Basant Regmi and Sompal Kami, with three wickets each, starred in the 9-wicket victory for Nepal.
Nepali players only managed to reach at the match venue hours before the match was scheduled to begin. Despite the delay in flight, twice, Nepali players hardly showed any fatigue in dismissing the Kuwait team for a paltry 20 runs in 13.2 overs. Nepal lost a wicket of Sagar Pun to achieve the target in 17 deliveries.
Sagar Pun scored the highest nine runs for Nepal (2 fours), while Subash Khakurel (7-run off 4-ball) and Binod Bhandari (5-run off 6-ball) remained unbeaten.
Earlier, Kuwait decided to bat after winning the toss at the Yeonhui Cricket Ground in Incheon. Sompal Kami bowled with some fire to take 3 wickets. He gave away 3 runs in his 4-over spell. Things were better in the middle overs for Kuwait as Basant Regmi took 3 wickets, conceding just 1 run, in his spell that lasted 8 balls.
5 Kuwait batsmen failed to open accounts, while 3 scored just a single run. None could reach double digit score. Needless to say, this was best bowling for Regmi and Kami in their T20 career. Sagar Pun also pocketed two wickets for Nepal.
Nepal captain Paras Khadka gave credit to his bowlers for the win. “We are happy with the win and it is necessary for us to keep the same momentum against Maldives as that match will not be easy for us,” he said.
Kuwait coach Mohammed Husain conceded that his team could not be compared to Nepal. “We are new in international cricket and this is just a beginning for us,” Husain said. Under Olympic rules, participating country has to play only local players in its team, which explains the sorry scorecard for Kuwait.
Nepal will play against Maldives on Sunday in its second match of the Group B.