Pakistan scored 176/9 in 20 overs and restricted Nepal for 203/9 to proceed to the semifinals along with Sri Lanka from Group B.

It looked an easy win for Pakistan, however, it wasn’t. They got enough chill on their back as they went down to 55/7 in 12 overs and saw the 43-run opening stand in 6 overs during Nepal’s innings.

Nepal won the toss and invited Pakistan to bat. Paras Khadka struck in the first over claiming N Jamshaid and Nepal was on top taking regular wickets. Krishna Karki grabbed four wickets in four overs; Paras added one more along with a wicket by Amrit Bhattarai and Bhuwan Karki ensured that Pakistan was struggling at 55/7 in 12 overs.

But Nepal’s party ended there. Mohamed Aziz and Ali Khan played chanceless knocks for a century partnership. They added 102 runs for eighth wickets snatching away the game from Nepal. Aziz scored 48 runs in 22 balls hitting three fours and four sixes and Khan scored 62 off 41 balls with two fours and five sixes.

A six-ball 18 by A Assad towards the conclusion of the innings took Pakistan to a strong total of 176/9.

Nepal had to win the match by the end of 10th over to qualify for the semifinals. However, they concentrated on winning rather than trying to do the impossible.

Nepal had a good opening partnership between Mahesh Chhetri and Anil Mandal. Mandal and Chhetri shared a 43-run partnership for the first wicket.

Chhetri was the highest scorer with 21 runs. Nepal scored only 60 runs in the remaining 13 overs losing eight wickets.

Skipper Khadka said that the middle order batsmen could not perform well and the team lost quick wickets. “We did a great job by taking seven wickets of Pakistan early but the two batsmen batted well and did not allowed us to come into the game. The target was attainable but poor batting cost us the game.”

Nepal´s coach Pubudu Dassanayake said that the Pakistani bowlers did not allow Nepali batsmen to settle in the crease. “Our batsmen failed to perform well but the bowlers bowled really well too. It is a big achievement to restrict Pakistan for just 176 runs.”

In the semifinals, Afghanistan will face Sri Lanka while Pakistan will lock horns with the host the Maldives.

Brief Scorecard
Pakistan 179/9 (A Khan 62 M Rameez 48, A Assad 18*, Krishna Karki 4/11, Paras Khadka 2/32, Amrit Bhattarai 2/34, Pradeep Airee 1/36) beat Nepal 103/9 (Mahesh Chhetri 21, Amrit Bhattarai 17*, Anil Mandal 16, Prithu Baskota 11, A Khan 2/7, U Qadir 2/13, R Hassan 2/17, M Talha 2/23) by 73 runs.

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With man of the match Gunatillake’s 105, Sri Lanka raced to 240 for 4 in 20 overs. Nepal only managed 164 for 9 in 20 overs.

Sri Lankan opener Danishka Mestiyage led the batting with a brilliant 105 off just 51 balls with 8 sixes before while Bhanku Rajapakse (58 off 38 balls), Angelo Perera (36 not out) and Udara Madurawalage (32) launched the batting attack that saw captain Paras Khadka going for 37 runs in the last over. In the over that included a no-ball and a wicket, Paras was hit for six sixes in a ground that just have 57-yard boundary.

Paras, who grabbed three wickets, otherwise had a good spell going for 20 runs in his 3 overs. Amrit Bhattarai was the only other bowler to claim wicket. Nepal also gave away 36 extras in 20 overs.

Nepal’s reply started badly with a run-out of Gyanendra Malla (2) while attempting a second run. Mahesh Chhetri (13) and Sharad Vesawkar then added 40-run partnership but the pressure of chasing a big total kept Nepali batsmen going for big shots and losing wickets to some brilliant bowling performance.

Sharad scored 26 while Paras went out early at 10. Pradeep Airee (35 not out), Prithu Baskota (32) and Binod Bhandari (25) hit shots here and there to ensure that Nepal did not lose by a big margin.

Ramith and Banku each grabbed three wickets for Sri Lanka.

“I am happy with the way the boys batted today,” Nepal’s Sri Lankan coach Pubudu Dassanayake commented after the match. “It was the ground that made much difference.”

The coach, who began his stint from the tournament, was however unsatisfied with bowling. “Bowling was not up to the mark. Spinners could not handle it and some overs went really bad,” he said.

“The wicket was much better than I had thought and the ball was coming on the bat and we conceded around 75 runs because of the size of the ground,” he said.

Captain Paras lauded Sri Lankan batting. “We had set a target for ourselves from this match and I think we succeeded in achieving that,” said Paras.

“The boys showed that they can face the stronger sides and score runs. If we are to forget the end result, the match was a good experience for the team,” added Paras.

In other match, hosts Maldives beat Bhutan by 6 wickets.

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National Sports Council (NSC) member-secretary Yubaraj Lama, newly appointed CAN vice-president TB Shah and other officials wished good luck to the team.

“In every tournament, we go for win and for the victory, we will do our best,” captain Paras Khadka said adding that the team is taking the tournament a good practice opportunity to prepare for the upcoming ACC Twenty20 Cup.

“All of the sudden, we got the opportunity to have good practice matches,” he said.

Nepal is grouped along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Karnataka Institute of India for the tournament to be played on astro-turf.

The event will be the first after Sri Lankan Pudoku Dassanayake took charge of the team as the coach. He said that he hoped to do well.

“We hope to do well,” he said adding that he has been already working on team’s weaknesses.

“I had heard that Nepal’s bowling and fielding as strength, I found it true,” he said. “We have been working on improving batting, and now the batsmen can play a few extra shots required for T20.”

He also said that he is only half-way through the fitness workplan.

CAN vice-president Shah asked the players to perform up to mark ensuring that CAN will be working to provide them the best exposure possible for improved performance.

NSC member-secretary Lama told the players that the reshuffling of CAN was only for ending the adhoc-ness of the committee and players should not worry on it. “You just think about performing well,” he told the players.

Nepal is playing Sri Lanka on October 31 before taking on Pakistan on November 3 and Karnataka Institute of India on November 5.

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Nepal is drawn in Group B along with Karnataka Institute of Cricket (KIC) of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Bangaldesh’s team, Afghanistan, Bhutan and hosts Maldives are drawn in Group A.

Nepal will meet Sri Lanka on October 31 before playing Pakistan on November 3, and KIC, India on November 5. The top two teams from each group reach semifinals to be played on November 6.

The schedule, however, is only tentative.

The draw was held in Male in a glittering ceremony attended by Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed.

Speaking at the ceremony President Nasheed said that the the event to be held in Fuvahmulah Maldives, would showcase the brightest young talents of South Asian cricket and commended the hard work of the Cricket Board of Maldives, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SAARC Taskforce and other contributing parties to make the event a success.

Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka has nominated their U25 teams for the tournament. Maldives will be represented by their U25 team as well.

However, due to commitment of Indian teams, KIC was invited to represent India. Bangladesh had a similar problem due to tour commitments and Maldives has been trying to invite a representative team.

Groupings
Group A: Afghanistan, Bangladeshi Team, Bhutan & Maldives
Group B: KIC (India), Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka

Tentative Schedule

Date	Match 1	Match 2
31 Oct	Maldives vs Bhutan	Sri Lanka vs Nepal
1 Nov	Afghanistan vs Bangaldeshi Team	KIC (India) vs Pakistan
2 Nov	Sri Lanka vs KIC(India)	Maldives vs Afghanistan
3 Nov	Nepal vs Pakistan	Bhutan vs Bangladeshi Team
4 Nov	Maldives vs Bangladeshi Team	Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
5 Nov	Bhutan vs Afghanistan	Nepal vs KIC(India)
6 Nov	SF:A 1 vs B 2	SF: B 1 vs A 2
7 Nov	FINAL	FINAL

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CAN also announced 14-member team under Paras Khadka to participate in the event. Gyanendra Malla is named Paras’ deputy.

All eight nations of South Asia are expected to participate in the event. Afghanistan and Pakistan have already confirmed their teams.

The event, all cost of which will be bore by Maldivian government, will be played at the newly constructed ground where 1,500 can attend.

Nepal U-25 Team: Paras Khadka (captain), Gyanendra Malla (vice-captain), Mahesh Chhetri, Anil Mandal, Sarad Vesawkar, Amrit Bhattarai, Binod Bhandari, Prithu Baskota, Rahul Viswokarma, Naresh Budayer, Pradeep Airee, Krishna Karki, Bhuwan Karki and Avinash Karn.

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On the bronze medal match against Pakistan, Nepal gave a tough fight. Winning toss, Nepal scored 147/6 in 20 overs but failed to defend it as Pakistan reached the target in the last over losing eight wickets. Pakistan claimed the bronze medal in the five-team events. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh reached the final.

Pradeep Airee scored unbeaten 52 for Nepal while captain Gyanendra Malla contributed 30 runs for Nepal.

Nepal finished fourth in the round-robin league of the Twenty20 cricket in U-21 winning against Maldives in the final league match on February 6.

Nepal vs Maldives

Anil Mandal produced a brilliant all-round show to led Nepal to an emphatic 10 wickets victory over Maldives at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Bowling medium pace, Mandal picked four wickets for nine runs in 3.4 overs after Maldives won the toss and elected to bat first.
Maldives were bowled out for 55 in 16.4 overs. Amrit Bhattarai and Bhuwan Karki each grabbed two wickets while Gyanendra took a wicket.

Nepal in reply romped home without any loss. Anil Mandal followed his four wickets by slamming an unbeaten 29 off 21 deliveries, striking three boundaries and one six. Subash Khakurel hit four boundaries in his 27 not out.

Nepal vs Pakistan

Pakistan beat Nepal by 91 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on February 3.

Pakistan Captain Umer Amin smashed powerful 53 of 32 that included four 4s and two 6s and Ali Asad banged an unbeaten 45 in 33 balls with three boundaries as batting first, they powered their team to 173/2 after electing to bat first.

Nepal in reply were restricted to 82/8 in 20 overs with spinner Nayyar Abbas and Kamran Hussain taking two wickets each.

Left hander openers Umar and Ali Waqas gave their team a flying start of 75 runs in 7.5 overs. Pakistan raced their 50 in 4.4 overs.

Ali Waqas made 27 in 25 balls with four boundaries before caught by substitute fieldsman Naresh Budair off Bhuwan Bhatta.

After Umer departed at 89 in 11th over, Ali Asad and Adil Amin plundered the weak Nepal bowling. Ali Asad got great support from Adil Amin, who hit a punishing unbeaten 35 after facing just 20 balls and it was spiced with four delightful boundaries.

Only three Nepal reached double figures with three failing to open their account. Pradeep hit two boundaries in his 21 and Gayandra Malla also 21 with solitary boundary.

Nepal vs Sri Lanka

On January 31, Nepal lost to Sri Lanka by 64 runs in at the Shahid Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi.

Electing to bat first, Sri Lanka scored 166/8. In reply, Nepal could only manage 102/3.

Rupesh Sriwastav was the pick of the Nepali bowlers with four wickets while Anil Mandal, Aakash Gupta and Gyanendra Malla claimed one apiece.

Mandal top scored with 28 runs while Pradeep Airee made 24 runs for Nepal. Subhash Khakurel also contributed 22 runs.

Nepal vs Bangladesh

Bangladesh made a flying start with an emphatic eight-wicket win in the inaugural match at the Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi on January 30.

Batting first after winning the toss, Nepal scored 80/7 in 20 overs with Binod Bhandari making 18, Subash 14, Gyanendra 14 and Sagar Khadka not out 10.

Sanjamul Islam claimed three wickets for 22 runs while Nazmul Islam, Ariful Haque, Shubhashis Roy and Emon Ahmed took one wicket each.

In reply, Bangladesh easily reached their target scoring 83 runs in 9.3 overs for the loss of two wickets with opener Mohammad Mithun hammering 41 runs off 21 balls that featured seven fours and a six.

Asif Ahmed scored not out 25 off 18 balls with four fours, Nasir Hossain made not out 9 off 10 balls and Rony Talukder 5 runs off 8 balls with a boundary. Bhuwan grabbed both the wickets giving away 37 runs.

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According to Nepal Olympic Committee, cricket will be now played on the round-robin league between the five participating teams – Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives. Top two teams will vie for the gold medal while third and fourth-place team will play for bronze.

The league matches will run from January 31 to February 6 while the final and the third-place playoff will be held on February 7.

Nepal will meet Bangladesh in the inaugural match at the Shahid Kamruzzaman Stadium, Rajshahi (SKS) on January 31. Next day, they play Sri lanka at the same venue and meets Pakistan at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS), Mirpur on Feburary 3.

Nepal’s final league match will be on February 6 against the Maldives at SBNCS.

Notes:
1. SKS: Shahid Kamruz Jaman Stadium / SBNSC: Sher E Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka
2. Time is Bangladesh local time which is 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes) ahead of Nepal’s time.

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In Group A, Sri Lanka, hosts Bangladesh and Maldives will play. SAG Cricket is the Twenty20 event for the U-21 teams of the region and has been included for the first time in regional sports meet.

According to schedule, Nepal’s first match is against Pakistan on February 2. The next day Nepal plays India and on February 3, they meet Afghanistan.

The fixture
(Changed on January 21 after India and Afghanistan pulled out)

SKS: Shahid Kamruz Jaman Stadium
SBNSC: Sher E Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka

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National Team scored 193/9 in 40 overs – thanks to Shakti Gauchan’s 82 after Paras Khadka chose to bat first. In reply, U-21 Team was bowled out for 103 in 30 overs.

The highlights of National Team’s innings were Shakti’s knock and Chandra Saud’s bowling figure. While Shakti made 82 off 116 balls with five boundaries and featured in a 60-run partnership with Dipendra Chaudhary, Chandra took 5/49.

Dipendra scored 29 off 39 balls while other contribution came from Sharad Vesawkar (18), Paras (14) and Sagar Pun (12). U-21 Team also gave away 23 extras – 13 alone by Chandra.

Chandra grabbed top three and bottom two batsmen while Anil Mandal took two for 30 and Pradeep Airee took a wicket.

U-21 began badly losing top three men early. From 23/3, captain Gyanendra Malla and Prithu Baskota stabilized the innings with 52-run partnership before Prithu was out for 13. The lower order failed against spinners as the remaining six wickets fell for 28 runs in 10 overs.

Gyanendra scored 41 off 55 with four boundaries and a six.

Off spinner Sanjam Regmi took 3/10 while Rahul Kumar BK (2/7), Basanta Regmi (2/18) and Binod Das (2/16) were other wicket takers.

The National Team is training for the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 while U-21 Team is training for the South Asian Games.

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CAN also named 18 players for the event to be played from January 29 to February 8, 2010 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Other members of the team include Amrit Bhattarai, Chandra Sawad, Binod Bhandari, Naresh Budair, Subash Khakurel, Lokendra Chanda and Prithu Baskota.

Rupesh Srivastav, Bhuwan Karki, Anil Mandal, Akash Gupta, Amit Shrestha, Rom Shrestha, Pradeep Sapkota, Pradeep Airee, Anupam Singh and Sagar Pun are other members in the team.

The team consists of players who are under 23 years old as per the rules of the SAG. The national selection committee headed by Arun Kumar Aryal named the team.

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