Electing to bat first, Singapore was bowled out for 89 runs in 19.4 overs with Binod Das and Sanjam Regmi sharing six wickets. Dipendra Chaudhary matched the highest T20 individual score and Naresh Budair came in flying colors in his first-innings as Nepal won in 14.2 overs.

Two wickets in two balls put Singapore on backfoot after they start well to go 21/0. C R Suryawanshi was run out for 14 off 8 balls and Buddhika Mendis went next ball – the first wicket to former captain Binod.

Singaporean innings lacked the partnership as spinners took the charge. Basant Regmi and Shakti Gauchan got a wicket each while off-spinner Sanjam grabbed three wickets for 19 runs in 4 overs.

Topscorer of the innings SK Sansua made 25 in 22 balls with a four and two sixes while other major contributors were CR KUmarage (18) and Pramodh Raza (13). Binod ended the innings with two wickets in the last over to finish 3/21 in 3.4 overs.

Mehboob Alam tried to play patiently to make up for his failures when Nepal began the chase. But he was undone by Sansua after scoring 2 in 7 balls.

Dipendra and Naresh, who was playing his first innings as he did not bat in his debut match against Bahrain yesterday, partnered unbeaten 77 runs for second wicket to take Nepal to victory.

Dipendra scored 49 not out in 40 balls with four boundaries and a six. He matched his own and nation’s highest individual score in T20. He had scored unbeaten 49 against Qatar in 2007.

Naresh made 32 in 39 balls with three fours.

In other matches played on the day, UAE and Afghanistan entered the final with easy victories. UAE defeated Oman by six wickets after bowling them out for 50 in 15 overs with Moin Shahid taking 5 wickets.

Afghanistan beat Kuwait by 8 wickets after bolwing them out for 115 in 18.1 overs. Nowraz Mangal scored unbeaten 51 for the winners.

Malaysia took the seventh position beating Saudi Arabia by 5 runs after scoring 201. Qatar beat Hong Kong by 7 wickets to take ninth place and Bahrain beat China by 93 runs to take 11th position.

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Invited to bat first, Bahrain scored 157/8 in 20 overs after early hiccups. Nepal needed 18 overs to complete the victory and lost three wickets on the way.

Mehboob Alam gave Nepal early breakthroughs taking two wickets in two balls in the second over. Binod Das got one next over as Bahrain went down to 16/3 in 3 overs.

It was opener Imran Sajjad and Haroon Naseer who got the momentum going. They added 54 runs before Sajjad was bowled by captain Paras Khadka. He scored 44 off 39 balls with three fours and three sixes.

Two more wickets fell quickly – one for offspinner Sanjam Regmi and other as run out – with score reading 79/6 in 11 overs.

Joy for bowlers ended there as Naseer and Shahzad scored aggressively. The pair added 72 runs before both were oust by Binod on the last over. Naseer scored 53 in 36 deliveries with three fours and two sixes while Shahzad got 29 in 26 with a four and a six.

In reply, Nepal had no better start chasing the highest score against them in Twenty20. Mehboob was bowled in the first ball he played.

Other opener Dipendra Chaudhary and No 3 Binod Bhandari added 40 runs before Binod got out on 15 off 12 balls. He was undone by Sameer Yousuf.

Dipendra continued till 11th over but then mistimed Yousuf to go down on 43. His 36-ball knock included four boundaries.

Gyanendra Malla and Paras Khadka then played aggressively to help Nepal win in 18 overs and bear no more damage. Gyanendra remained unbeaten on 48 off 30 balls with five fours while Paras scored 47 off 29 balls with six fours and a six.

Paras was adjudged man of the match.

In other matches of the day, Oman defeated Kuwait by 86 runs. Both proceeded to the semifinals with Kuwait taking on Afghanistan who defeated hosts UAE by a wicket. UAE will play Oman in the other semifinal.

Malaysia, who had a chance of overtaking Nepal for Group B third-position with a big win, only managed 16-run victory over Qatar. Malaysia now played Saudi Arabia for the seventh-place. Saudi Arabia lost to Singapore by two runs in the battle for Group A third position.

Hong Kong defeated China by 75 runs in the other match and will now play Qatar for 9th place playoff and China meets Bahrain for the 11th place playoff.

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With Thursday’s results, Afghanistan and UAE from Group A and Oman from Group B have confirmed their berth to the semifinals. Kuwait is certain to qualify.

Only a couple of super-miraculous results could put Nepal or Malaysia ahead of Kuwait in the net run-rate. Kuwait’s net run rate after four matches is +2.95 while Nepal is at -0.20 and Malaysia at -0.21.

At Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Qatar won the toss and elected to bat first.

They lost opener in the first over as Binod Bhandari ran Habib Zada out in Binod Das’ over. Binod bowled other opener and captain Umer Taj (8) in the match’s third over to make it 10/2. Irfan Hussain and Tamoor Sajjad then partnered 38 runs before the spinners started dominating.

Hussain topscored with 32 in 39 balls while Sajjad got 19 in 21 deliveries. Left arm spinners Shakti Gauchan and Basant Regmi got each one of them and four more.

Shakti finished at 3/19 while Basant was even better finishing at 3/11. Off spinner Sanjam Regmi took the last two wickets as Qatar failed to reach three-digit.

In reply, Nepal reached the target in 18.3 overs losing four wickets. Gyanendra Malla scored unbeaten 39 while Dipendra Chaudhary got 28.

Mehboob Alam (10), Paresh Lohani (9) and Paras Khadka (8) could not do much. A Khan spearheaded Qatari bowling with two wickets.
Nepal meets Bahrain, a team without a win in four matches in the last match, on Saturday, Nov 28, at the Al Dhaid Cricket Village.

Nepal has every chance to finish third in the group and compete against the winner of the match between Saudi Arabia and Singapore for the fifth place.

Kuwait unofficially confirmed their places after a big win over Bahrain. They chased Bahrain’s 174/5 in 12.3 overs losing just a wicket with Khalid Butt scoring 142 not out off 53 balls with 18 fours and 10 sixes. Oman confirmed their berth by defeating Malaysia by 35 runs after scoring 197/5.

In Group A matches, UAE defeated China by 209 runs after scoring 236/5 and bowling them out for 27 in 15.1 overs. Afghanistan beat Saudi Arabia by 8 wickets chasing their 72 in 8 overs. It was fourth win in four matches for both the teams.

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Dipendra Chaudhary took three wickets to restrict Oman to lowly 112/9 in 20 overs but Hemin Desai’s hat-trick wrecked Nepal’s top-order to bowl out Nepal for 100 in 19.1 overs. It was Oman’s third victory and Nepal’s second loss in three matches.

Winning the toss, Nepal elected to field first. That decision paid off as Oman went down to 21/3. But Ghazanfar Iqbal (37), Sultan Ahmed (23), Adnan Ilyas (12) and Syed Amir Ali (11) helped team score three-digit.

Dipendra, who took 4 wickets a day earlier, was at his best again taking three wickets for 19 runs in 4 overs while left-arm spinner Shakti Gauchan who shared new ball with Binod Das got 2/22. Binod and Basant Regmi took a wicket each.

Nepal’s reply was disastrous as Dipendra was gone in the first over after hitting two fours off the first balls and then being bowled by Awal Khan. Then it was Hemin who grabbed a hat-trick taking wickets of Mehboob Alam, Sharad Vesawkar and Dipendra Chaudhary to make it 16/4.

Hemin first bowled Dipendra with a slower delivery and took a return catch to dismiss Mehboob with the last two deliveries of the first over. He then bowled Sharad Vesawkar with the first ball of his next over.

Gyanendra Malla (20) and Basant Regmi (26) stablize Nepal’s innings although the asking run-rate was going high but they could not continue long.

As the match was looking dead, former captain Binod hit two sixes and a four for his 10-ball 21 to give some hope but it all went in vein as Awal undid him. Awal finished with 2/16 while Syed Amir and Khalid Rasheed each took two wickets.

Nepal’s chance of qualifying to the semifinals now remains mostly on the mathematical calculations. Nepal will play Qatar after a day’s break.

“It’s pity that the senior and experienced guys failed to achieve such a target,” lamented coach Roy Dias. Dias expressed surprise over the selection of shots made by his senior boys.

“Our spinners did exceptionally well but pacemen were a total dissapointment,” added the coach. “The dismissal of the first two wickets (Dipendra and Mehboob) was turning point of the match,” said Dias.

Skipper Paras said he was shocked by the way his team batted. “It’s horrible batting. Our bowlers did their part but I have not seen such a poor batting in last five-six years,” said Paras. “We should clear our mindset before thinking of the remaining matches,” he added.

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Dipendra Chaudhary took four wickets as Kuwait squandered a good start to get out on 123 in 19.1 overs. Nepali batting collapsed once again before debutant Binod Bhandari hit a six off the last ball to finish at 123/7 in 20 overs. Nepal won 3-2 in bowl out.

Binod went in at 85/6 and scored 25 off just 16 balls with a four and a six as Nepal equaled the total. Off the last over, Nepal needed 13 runs for victory and after taking twos of first two balls; ones of next two balls and a dot on the fifth, only six off the last ball could have equaled the score.

Binod hit it for a six to give Nepal a hope. In the bowl-out, Dipendra, Paras Khadka and Shakti Gauchan hit the bull’s eye while Binod Das and Sanjam Regmi missed. Three Kuwait bowlers missed the stumps.

“I am very happy as I was able to contribute for the team,” said Binod. “I knew I could do something for the team. I got the chance and proved myself.”

Nepal left out veteran Paresh Lohani in favor of Binod. Dipendra partnered Mehboob Alam as the opening pair.

He added 16 off 11 balls with three fours before being out at total score of 30. Sharad Vesawkar just scored a run and made it 32/2.

Mehboob however continued in his fashion to score 32 off 33 balls with two fours and three sixes. Paras Khadka (14 off 16), Gyanendra Malla (10 off 14) and Basant Regmi (12 off 15) all got the start but could not continue and it came down to wire.

Khalid Yameen (3/15) wrecked Nepal’s middle-order.

Earlier, Dipendra, who once held the best bowling figure in one-day for Nepal, was given a ball after it looked like other bowlers, had nothing to do and he did the trick by returning with a figure of 4/11 off 3 overs.

His bowling is the best bowling figure by any Nepali in the Twenty20. Earlier best was bowled by Paras Khadka who took 3/6 against Oman in 2007.

Kuwait had a good start despite losing Khalid Butt in the first over bowled by Mehboob . Yasir Idris (28 off 19, 1×4, 2×6), Hisham Mirza (34 off 20, 1×4, 4×6), Sibtain Raza (27 off 40, 3×4) and Sainal Govind (14 off 13, 1×6) took Kuwait to 96/3 before Dipendra and Basant Regmi (2/10) wrecked their innings.

Paras was happy with the win but was not satisfied with the team’s performance. “I can’t explain what is happening. The batsmen are not getting runs,” he said.

Coach Roy Luke Dias was shocked by the way the team struggled despite having a good start. He praised Dipendra and Binod for saving the team.

Nepal now meets Oman on November 24 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Oman had so far defeated Bahrain and Qatar in the event. In 2007, Nepal defeated Oman by a run.

Asked about the team combination against Tuesday’s match, Dias said he would bring in either Paresh Lohani or Naresh Budhair in place of Sharad. “Sharad has not been able give 100 per cent for the team. So I think he will have to stay outside,” said Dias.

In other matches of the day, Saudi Arabia defeated China by 55 runs and UAE defeated Hong Kong by 27 runs while Afghanistan beat Singapore by 8 wickets and Malaysia beat Bahrain by 84 runs. It was second win for all of them.

Photos by Nepal Sports Journalists Forum

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According to the deal, worth Rs. 3m, Pepsi will be the sponsor of the team while Standard Chartered will be the co-sponsor. The deal has to be renewed annually.

According to deal, Pepsi’s Nepal’s representative Varun Beverage will provide Rs. 1.2m in cash and all the kinds including clothing for the tournaments while Standard Chartered will also provide Rs. 1.2m cash.

Nepali senior cricket team was sponsored by Surya Nepal and Standard Chartered for last three years. In 2007, Pepsi sponsored U-15 National League and U-15 team.

“I wish Nepal will become a good team that we can be proud of,” Ravi Kant Tajpuriya, the chairman of Varun Beverages said after the signing ceremony.

Standard Chartered CEO Sujit Mundul said that Nepali players have talents and hoped that their support would help them to showcase their talents.

“The support of Pepsi and Standard Chartered will help for success at the time when senior team is not performing as good as junior teams,” CAN president Binaya Pandey said. “I believe Nepal can play ODI by 2015.”

Pepsi is also the official sponsor of the ICC Development Porgram under which Nepal is hosting World Cricket League Divison V tournament in February, 2010.

Photo by NepalSportsPhoto.com

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Nepal made 112/7 in 20 overs – its lowest T20 total – and Malaysia completed the victory in 17.2 overs losing just four wickets. It was Nepal’s first ever defeat at any level to Malaysia.

After winning the toss, Nepal elected to bat first on the surface on which UAE had scored 219 in the morning match. Openers Paresh Lohani and Mehboob Alam batted slow on the flat pitch. Without fireworks in their 49-run stand, they however made the foundation that the remaining batsmen could have used.

Paresh (19 off 20 balls) was first to go while Dipendra Chaudhary (4 off 3) followed soon. Mehboob, the highest scorer of the innings with 31 off 34 balls, followed soon leaving Nepal at 63/3.

Gyanendra Malla and captain Paras Khadka added 29 runs but all Nepal needed at the time was some quick runs which did not come. Gyanendra got 22 off 23 with a six and a four while Paras got 10 off 14.

Nepal was restricted to 112/7 – nine runs less than the previous lowest total scored against Malaysia (121/9) and Afghanistan (121/7) in 2007.

Malaysia’s reply did not start well with opener Damith Warsewithrane going out in the second over bowled by Binod Das. Thusara Kodikara (20 off 12 with four boundaries) and Rakesh Madhavan (30 off 31) recovered from the early blow.

After their fall, for a wicket each to Sanjam Regmi and Paras, Mohd Faiz anchored the innings and took the team to victory with unbeaten 40 off 34.

For Nepal, the total proved little low to defend.

“We had a satisfactory start but the batsmen failed to score in the middle overs,” said coach Roy Dias. “We fell short of at least 30 runs.”

Skipper Paras was also equally disappointed with the performance. “It was a good pitch to bat but we failed to convert our starts into big scores,” said Paras.

Asked about the feeling of losing the first match against Malaysia, Paras said: “It had to happen one day and it happened here. As a captain I tried what I could but the players lack enthusiasm.” He also said the team could have done better despite the low score. “All went wrong today and I urge all the team members to go forward positively and come good in the remaining matches,” he said.

On Monday, Nepal will play Kuwait at the Sheik Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

On other matches of Sunday, UAE defeated Singapore by 62 runs, Oman defeated Bahrain by 108 runs, Saudi Arabia beat Hong Kong by a wicket and Kuwait beat Qatar by 65 runs. Much fancied debut of China ended in their 9-wicket defeat by Afghanistan after they were bowled out for 36.

Photo courtesy: Asian Cricket Council & Nepal Sports Journalists Forum

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LBSCC scored 97/9 in 20 overs and Nepal completed the victory with three balls and two wickets remaining.

For LBSCC, Sandeep Kaushik scored 39 off 38 balls while Saqib Alam scored 32 off 37 balls.

Shakti Gauchan and off-spinner Sanjam Regmi took two wickets each while Binod Das, Amrit Bhattarai and captain Paras Khadka grabbed a wicket each.

Gyanendra Malla topscored for Nepal with 34 off 44 balls while Sharad Vesawakar (20 off 30) and Dipendra Chaudhary (18 off 18) contributed for the victory.

Saqib took three wickets while Abhisekh Thakur took two wickets. Sandeep also got a wicket.

The LBSCC team consisted of Ranji Trophy players, according to team manager Naresh Shrestha.

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On Nov 15 Sunday, Nepal played two Twenty20 matches against DDCA XI and lost both but not without producing some good performances. Nepal lost the first match by 26 runs and second match by seven wickets.

Nepal won the toss of the first match and elected to field first. DDCA XI reached 164/5 in 20 overs. Ankur Jhulka scored 54 off 44 balls while Aditya Jain got 36 off 31, Joginder Singh 29 off 18 and Ranji player Yogesh Nagar got 18 off 24.

For Nepal, newly appointed captain Paras Khadka led from front taking two wickets for 23 runs while Binod Das and Basant Regmi each grabbed a wicket.

In reply, Gyanendra Malla scored a half-century to take Nepal to 138/4 in 20 overs. Apart from Gyanendra’s 51 off 42 balls, Paras remained unbeaten on 37 off 25 while Dipendra Chaudhary got 26 off 28 balls.

Paresh Lohani (1) and Mehboob Alam (12) went cheaply. For DDCA XI, Nagar, Darshan Kandiaya and Pakash Sikhra each took a wicket.

“The DDCA XI team was a strong team and we were praised for our good performance,” former captain Binod told Cricket Nepal in an email. The DDCA XI team consisted regular players of Delhi team.

However there were not much accolades for the second match as Nepal was restricted for 82/9 in 20 overs after electing to bat first. Apart from Paresh (26 runs of 50 balls) and Mehboob (17 off 18), not batsmen scored runs.

DDCA XI needed just 12.3 overs to win the match with Sawari Khan (41 runs off 35 deliveries) and Puneet Mehra (22 off 18) scoring good for the team.

Binod and Basant took a wicket each.

Nepal will play two more practice matches with the teams of DDCA before leaving to UAE for the event on November 20.

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Congratulations for being named the captain. How do you feel?

Thank you. One can obviously feel excited at this time. It´s a great privilege but with it comes great responsibility.

Was becoming the national captain your dream?

When I started playing I hardly knew I would make it this far. But, with time, hard work, determination and luck on my side I have managed to come this far.

To play for the country is the best feeling ever. I just wanted to play cricket for my country and if captaincy comes my way, it´s a great privilege but like I said with it comes tremendous responsibility. So, I never imagined I would be a captain of the national team. It´s a dream and it will only be worth something if we as a country win major tournaments.

What is your aim as the captain?

To lead from the front. To establish a cricket culture in our country where the passion is growing everyday, I want to see our cricket players get more than what they´re getting at present. We have amazing talents and just need the right exposure.

You became captain at a time when the team is lagging behind due to losses in crunch matches. Do you think your captaincy will be catalyst for the victories?

I want the team to play as a unit, forget everything once we enter the field and only concentrate on wining and give 100 %. A captain is only as good as his players to win.

We have to win important matches and, as players, all of us know it. What happened in the past is something we don´t want to focus too much on. We have to look forward, learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.

What could be the areas you will be looking to work on to better the results?

We have been playing well in tournaments but just that odd crucial game that we have been losing. May be, it´s a mental thing that we need to focus more than anything else.

You will be guiding a team that has players senior to you and two former national captains. Do you feel pressure?

I have been playing for the senior team for the past 5 years. We are all friends and brothers as a unit. For all of us, the main concern is how to make winning a habit. It doesn´t matter who´s who. It all comes down to those 11 players on the particular day and playing for the country.

What kind of support would you expect from them?

I have the support of all the players. I just want them to take pride in playing for the country. Now, it´s time to show what talent there is in the Nepali cricket.

Your first assignment will be ACC Twenty20 Elite Cup. What results you expect from the event?

It´s a 20-20 format and it´s very unpredictable as we all know. We as players are taking it one match at a time. All the teams are well prepared and so are we. It´s more about going and performing at this stage of our careers.

Which nations you see as tough opponents for Nepal? Why?

The Middle East countries have those Indian n Pakistani players. We can expect a tough fight from them but like I said 20-20 is an exciting and unpredictable format. It´s all about who can handle the pressure and we are geared up for this event.

Someday, you will retire as the national captain, what legacy you want to leave as a captain for people to remember you?

I just want to be remembered as someone who led from the front, who played his heart and soul for the country and gave his bloody best every time. Hopefully, have a closet full of trophies and establish a cricket culture where youngsters can jell in any day and find that hunger and passion to do well for the country.

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