Electing to field, Nepal bowled out Qatar for 142 runs in 43 overs. In reply, Nepal reached the target in 29 overs with seven wickets at their disposal.

The Qatar batsmen could sustain against the lethal spinners of Nepal with Minas Khaesh and Taha Mohammed managing 50 and 14 runs respectively.

Prithu Baskota shone with ball claiming three wickets while Sagar Khadka claimed two. Likewise, Chandra Saud, Lal Bahadur Adhikari and Gyanendra Malla took a wicket each.

Skipper Gyanendra Malla had a worthwhile stint with the bat as well registering his third half century in the tournament with 67 runs off 73 balls, which included 10 boundaries. Prithu Baskota posted 27 runs while Anil Mandal managed 11 runs.

Nepal went in as the favourites having won the championship four times.

They lifted the coveted silverware in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 after they lost to Bangladesh in the finals in 1999.

“As defending champions, we had to make sad exit from the event. The third place has given us something to cheer about in the end. Besides Gyanendra and Prithu, our batsmen could not really give their best in this tournament,” said Coach Dias.

Nepal had to play the third playoffs after suffering a six-wicket loss against Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Nepal, aiming to clinch the ACC U-19 Cup fifth time in a row, bowed out at the Hubara Ground, Kuwait.

After losing to Bangladesh in the finals of the 1999, Nepal had lifted the cup in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Man-of-the-match, Aimal Wafa remained 61 not out to deny the defending champions an entry into the final. Chasing a target of 187 runs set by Nepal at the loss of eight wickets, Afghanistan completed the chase in 47.1 overs with the loss of four wickets. Asgar added 47 runs.

For Nepal, Prithu Baskota led with the bat to put up a total of 186 runs. Baskota scored 81 runs while captain Gyanendra Malla added 31 runs. Likewise, Hamza Hotak shined with the ball for Afghanistan ending with the figure of three for 18.

“It is an end of an era of Nepal’s dominance in the U-19 cup. The other teams are better prepared that we were for the tournament. The senior players specially the batsmen have disappointed me,” coach Roy Dias commented after the match,” We did not have enough runs on the board for the strong Afghan batting line up. This is not the strongest team I have. The Afghans played well.”

Nepal had already reached the semi-final of the tournament with a match against Hong Kong to spare. The 36-run Hong Kong win ensured their place in the last four as well. Man-of-the-match Irfan Ahmed scored a century as Hong Kong put up a target of 194 runs. Batsmen faltered in the flat pitch of the Unity Ground as Nepal was all out with 36 runs short of the target.

Anil Mandal top scored with 29 runs while Sagar Khadka and Sunny Pun added 25 and 18 runs respectively. Captain Gyanendra Malla who had batted well in the last couple of matches said his wicket was the turning point of the match. “My wicket was crucial. We lost the match from then on,” Malla said, “Today’s match has shown that we need to work hard on all departments of the game.” Nepal gave away 85 runs in the last ten overs.

Earlier, spinner Lal Bdr. Adhikari took three wickets for Nepal. Pacers Rupesh Shrivastav grabbed two wickets while Amril Bhattaria took one.

Coach Roy Dias praised Ahmed’s performance and said the batsmen let him down. “The boys gave away too many runs in the last ten overs and senior batsmen failed to perform once again.”

Singapore scored 171 in 49.5 overs – a score that Nepal surpassed in 44.5 overs with three wickets remaining.

Gyanendra Malla made second half-century of the event scoring 62 and giving the team stability after opener Anil Mandal had got 36.

Prithu Baskota (13) contributed a few before the pair of Rom Shrestha (16 not out) and Sagar Khadka (15 not out) added unbeaten 35 runs for Nepal’s victory in front of flag-waving supporters numbering nearly 100.

With the third win in as many matches, Nepal confirmed a place in the semifinals from Group A. Nepal is atop with six points and has still to play Hong Kong on Monday.

Malaysia is currently second with two wins from three matches whereas Hong Kong, with two matches in hand, is third along with Saudi Arabia with two points each.

Singapore, after third defeat, is out of contention while Malaysia, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia all remain in contention for a remaining semifinal spot from the group.

The other team to book a semifinal berth is Afghanistan from Group B.

Singapore won the toss and elected to bat first. Despite losing wickets regularly, they managed to get 171 playing 49.5 overs.

Rezza Gaznavi topscored with 39 while Irfan Madakia got 30. Contribution of runs came from all batsmen with Timohty Singham (16), Prem Dadlani (16), Prasheen Param (15), Satyajit Rao (11) and Abhisekh Sukla (11) all hitting a few.

For Nepal, Rom got 3/29 and Sagar claimed 2/24. Amrit Bhattarai, Chandra Saud, Lal Bahadur Adhikari and Prithu each took a wicket.

Nepal lost Sunny Pun in the first over and Antim Thapa cheaply to go 30/2 in 10 overs.

Gyanendra anchored the innings adding runs with Anil (36) and Akash (8) but he too was adjudged lbw off Abhiraj Singh after 62 from 63 balls with eight fours.

Nepal’s coach Roy Dias admitted it was a nervous win. “Too close for comfort,” he said. “Guys lost wickets at regular times and created pressure. We are missing a quality spinner in our side.”

Gyanendra believed it was pressure that was harming Nepal. “We lost wickets at unnecessary times,” he said. “In fielding also we gave away a little more runs due to some poor fielding. Boys are not taking responsibility but pressure.”

And, Singapore coach knew it could have been their victory had a few things gone right. M. Venkataramana said: “It was a lifetime opportunity to beat Nepal but we missed it.”

This was Singapore’s sixth loss against Nepal.

Malaysia won the toss and elected to bat first. Amrit Bhattarai gave Nepal a breakthrough in the first over trapping Faris Almas Lee leg-before, but then Nepal had a long wait for next celebration as Safiq Sharif and Keithan got Malaysia going.

The pair added 68 runs in 22.5 overs before Shafiq (31 off 73 balls) fell to Anil Mandal. That sparked frequent fall of wickets but Keithan ensured that his team get a good score by anchoring the innings.

Keithan scored 90 runs off 132 balls with seven fours and had worthy partnerships with Mohd Norwira (21 off 25) and Syazrul Ezat (11 off 10). He was unlucky not to complete his century being a victim of run-out by Chandra Saud but did his job by taking Malaysia to 198.

After Keithan fell, three other batsmen survived just seven balls and not completing the quota of 48 overs – reduced after match was delays by 75 minutes due to dirt on ground.

Amrit was the pick of the bowlers picking three wickets while Anil Madal got two and Sagar Khadka claimed one. Three Malaysian batsmen ran themselves out.

In reply, Nepal began well with Sunny Pun scoring quickly and Anil with a quiet bat. Sunny scored 26 off 25 balls with six fours and fell to Derek Michael when Nepal had 27 runs on board.

Anil survived till seventeenth over scoring just 14 off 42 balls before Faris caught him off his own bowling. Importantly, he partnered Antim Thapa for 34 runs.

At 61/2 in 17 overs, the match was evenly poised. Antim (37 off 87) and Gyanendra took the match away from Malaysians, who had defeated Singapore a day earlier, adding 78 runs. Antim then was stumped out off captain Nik Azral Arifin leaving Nepal at 139/3 in 35 overs.

Nepal needed another 65 runs in 13 overs and needed some fireworks. Akash Gupta provided that scoring 24 off just 15 balls with four boundaries and the lone six of the innings before being bowled out by Sharul Nizam.

Gyanendra and Rom Shrestha then added required run without further damage to complete the task. Rom got 12 off 22 balls while man of the match Gyanendra scored 86 off just 90 balls with 10 hits to fence.

“It is one of my best innings,” Gyanendra said. “I knew I had to play with responsibility as the target was not an easy one.”

The skipper also praised Antim and Akash. “Antim played well for the partnership. Also Akash came with his fiery kncok to relieve pressure off me,” he added.

Nepal now meets Singapore on Saturday.

Photos by Nepal Sports Journalists Forum

Four-time defending champions Nepal was struggling 76/7 in 20 overs before No 9 Amrit rescued Nepal with stunning 82 runs.Nepal elected to bat first and despite losing top order batsmen early scored 233 in 49 overs.

Amrit played 93 balls and hit nine fours and two sixes in his knock before being the fifth victim of Saudi captain Waqas Khalid.

Waqas and his new ball partner Mohammad Abdullah took early four wickets as Nepal wentdown to 40/4 despite captain Gyanendra Malla’s 20.

Saim Rushdi then claimed two more wickets and Waqas added one more to make it 76/7 before Nepal got back into match.

Rom Shrestha contributed 32 in 64 balls with two fours while No 10 Chandra Sawad hit brisk 28 off 27 balls with three boundaries as Nepal raced to a formidable total.

Waqas returned with 5/35 while Said claimed 3/69 and Abdullah took two for 54.

In reply, Saudi Arabia, promoted last year to elite division, were bundled out for 96 runs in 38.3 overs.

Although, Amrit and Chandra failed to give breakthrough they bowled tight giving away only 14 runs off their 10 overs.

Lal Bahadur Adhikari gave the breakthrough claiming both openers while Sagar Khadka and Anil Mandal also took two each.

Gyanendra and Prithu Baskota returned with a wicket each as Saudi failed to bat well.

Opener Ali Zaman topscored with 20 while Abdul Salam got 19.

But for the U-19 captain, the failure in the upcoming ACC U-19 Elite Cup means the inability to keep up what his preceding captains did to establish the nation as the strongest associate cricket playing team in the world map.

Gyanendra, a regular to senior team as a middle-order batsman and also a part-time bowler, is leading the national side for second time and says his team will do their best to continue the legacy.

“Of course, there is pressure to perform well,” he said on the eve of departure to Kuwait for the competition, “but we are prepared well to cope with that pressure.”

“As a member of earlier U-19 teams, I know how important it’s to win the event and then to qualify for the Youth World Cup,” he added, “and we are committed to perform our best.”

Nepal had won the Asian U-19 four times before – in 2001 under captaincy of Binod Das, in 2003 under Shakti Gauchan, in 2005 under Kanishka Chaugai and in 2007 under Paras Khadka. Apart from the last time when it beat Afghanistan to lift the trophy, Nepal beat Malaysia in all other finals.

For years, the Asian U-19 was the qualifier for the Youth World Cup and Nepal played the big event five times, in 1999 as runners-up to Bangladesh and in 2002 (plate finalist), 2004, 2006 (plate winner) and 2008 (plate finalist).

This time, however, the finalists of the event will only qualify for the 10-nation qualifier to the Youth World Cup 2010 which will be played between top two teams from each of the cricketing regions – Asia, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Americas and Africa.

Coach Roy Dias believed that the team is a balanced one. “I am taking a balanced side, but since all other team wants to beat Nepal, it’s a bit pressure on it,” he said. “I have a few experienced players and overall, I have a good time.”

Dias says Nepal is in a tough group. “Malaysia has played in last World Cup and a lot of players from that team are in the team; Singapore and Hong Kong are also good.”

On Sunday, Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) organized a farewell program where National Sports Council (NSC) vice-president Sitaram Maskey termed cricket as the ‘pride of the country’ and asked the players to remember that they are playing for making the nation proud when they enter the ground.

“Result is a part of the game,” CAN president Binaya Raj Pandey told the team during the function. “What we want to see is commitment from you and I am convinced that with commitment you will certainly repeat the past performances.”

Also present on the occasion were CAN vice-president Upendra Bhattarai, general secretary Tanka Paneru and member Binod Rajbhandari.
Nepal begins the campaign against Saudi Arabia on April 22 before taking up Hong Kong on April 24, Malaysia on April 25, and Singapore on April 27.

The semifinals are scheduled on April 29 and the final will be played on May 1.

Team Nepal: Gyanendra Malla (captain), Akash Gupta, Antim Thapa, Sagar Khadka, Amrit Bhattarai, Lal Bahadur Adhikari, Rom Shrestha, Chandra Sawad, Sunny Pun, Anupam Singh, Subash Pradhan, Rupesh Srivastav, Anil Kumar Mandal and Prithu Baskota.

Officials: Roy Dias (coach), Mahesh Rijal (assistant coach) and Shailesh Chaudhary (manager).

The event, to be held from April 22 to May 1 in Kuwait, is the Asian qualifier for the Youth World Cup. Nepal is four-time defending champions of the event.

Those named in the team are Akash Gupta, Antim Thapa, Sagar Khadka, Amrit Bhattarai, Lal Bahadur Adhikari, Rom Shrestha, Chandra Sawad, Sunny Pun, Anupam Singh, Subash Pradhan, Rupesh Srivastav, Anil Kumar Mandal and Prithu Baskota.

Four alternative players for the event are Hasim Ansari, Naresh Budayar, Navin Shahi and Rahul Kumar BK.

CAN member Shailesh Kumar Chaudhary will manage the team while coach Roy Dias will be assisted by Mahesh Rijal.

The team was selected by the national selection committee headed by chief coach Arun Kumar Aryal.

The preliminary squad was picked by a selection committee headed by Arun Kumar Aryal based on the performance in the recently concluded Wai Wai U-19 National Cricket Tournament.

The ACC U-19 Elite Cup 2009 is scheduled to be held in Kuwait from April 22 to May 1.

Nepal is in Group A along with Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.

Nepal qualified for the Youth World Cup 2008 clinching the ACC U-19 Elite Cup cricket tournament at the Kinrara Oval Ground on Wednesday.

In the final, Nepal defeated Afghanistan by 48 runs for its fourth successive title at this level. In a closely contested match, Nepal batted first to score 172 runs in 49.4 overs and bowled out the South Asian neighbors for 124 in 45.5 overs.

Nepal has not lost a single match in the event since 2001, winning titles in 2001, 2003 and 2005 prior to this. Nepal was runner-up to Bangladesh in 1999.

“This is a great win,” Nepal’s coach Roy Dias commented after the victory. “Among all matches, the final was the most interesting.” Nepal will now play its fifth Youth World Cup (YWC) in Malaysia in February, 2008. ACC informed that there would not be any playoff against Scotland for the YWC spot.

While defending a moderate total, Nepali spinners played a crucial role as Shashi Keshari led with three wickets while Rahul Biswokarma and Sagar Khadka each took two wickets. Raj Shrestha took a wicket while pacers Amrit Bhattarai and Abhaya Rana chipped in with one each.

But it was Amrit and Paras Khadka who bowled with discipline restricting free-hitting Afghan batsmen at the start of the innings that set the foundation for victory. The Afghans played very slowly in the beginning scoring a run-an-over till the 10th over and at the rate of two runs until the 34th over.

Man-of-the-final Shir Shirzai scored 66 runs for Afghanistan and as long as he was at the crease, Afghanistan was hopeful of a victory despite needing 64 runs in the last 10 overs. But it collapsed from 108/5 to 124 all out in an attempt to accelerate.

Nepal lost two wickets in the first two overs, after electing to bat, as Shashi Keshari and Gyanendra Malla were dismissed to put the team in trouble. Paras Khadka and Mahesh Chhetri added 44 runs before Paras was bowled off an inside-edge at 28. Soon, Mahesh departed for 14 along with Antim Thapa and Nepal slumped to 60/5 in the 22nd over.

Akash Gupta, batting at No 7, was in a different mood though and scored a run-a-ball 48 with six fours and a six. He partnered 61 runs with Sagar Khadka, who himself got 32 off 79 balls. Raj Shrestha also got 14 runs.

“Nepal’s bowling was better than we thought,” Afghan coach Taj Malik said. “They played great cricket.”

“I am grateful to my players for this win,” captain Paras Khadka, who was later named man-of-the-series, said after the win. “We didn’t score much but we won convincingly.”

PHOTOS AND TEXT BY ANIL BOGATI