Big loss for Nepal in ICC World T20 Qualifiers; return home empty handed
Nepal lost their last but crucial match against Canada on ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier Tuesday that forced the team return home leaving the dream to play ICC World Twenty20.
Nepal will return home after today’s loss as the door to enter the second round has been closed. Nepal need to beat Canada with a big run rate in order to keep their hopes alive to enter the second round as they already had three defeats.
Nepal lost Tuesday’s match played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE by 18 runs.
Though they restricted Canada to 101 runs in the first innings, Nepali players failed to perform at the crease. Nepal could make 83 only at the cost of ten wickets in 18.3 overs while chasing the 102-run target.
Canada had won the toss and elected to bat first.
Sarad Veswakar contributed 29 runs to the team before being run-out. Opener Anil Mandal made 15 runs and Shakti Gauchan 10. Other batsmen could not score in a double figure.
Junaid Siddiqui took three wickets, including that of opener Mandal, Prithu Baskota and Sanjam Regmi, for Canada.
Three Nepali wickets — that of Veswakar, Gauchan and Chandra Sawad — fell to run-out.
Nepal’s Chandra Sawad and Paras Khadka claimed two wickets each. Sawad sent Canadian opener Gunasekera’s wicket, while Shakti Gauchan sent another opener Rizwan Cheema back to the pavilion.
Khadka showed Patel the way of pavilion while Kumar was run-out. In the 15th over, Gordon was LBW out on Khadka’s ball.
The sixth wicket of Baidwan fell to a run-out. Junaid Siddiqui was stumped in the 19th over. Sawad claimed Osinde’s wicket.
An unbeaten Hansra contributed 29 runs, including a six, to Canada. Opener Cheema and Gordon made 15 runs each for their team.
