KATHMANDU, Sept 20: Nepal’s national cricket team, which is on tour to India, registered 153-run win over the local side Dindigul Dragons in its first practice match held in Chennai on Tuesday.
In the match played at SRM University Ground, Nepal won the toss and chose to bat before making a total of 216/8 in the allotted 50 overs.
In reply, Tamil Nadu Premier League side Dragons was restricted for 63/10 in 35.3 overs.
Nepal’s Sagar Pun pocketed 3-8 in 5.3 overs. Likewise, Sompal Kami and Sandeep Lamichhane claimed two wickets each to limit the local Indian side for a low total.
Debutants Lalit Bhandari and Sushil Kandel bagged one wicket each for the Nepali team that had travelled to India to prepare for the upcoming ICC World Cricket League Championship clash against Hong Kong.
Lower order batsmen were crucial in Nepal’s win as unbeaten Basant Regmi and Sompal Kami struck half-centuries each.
Nepal had already lost six wickets in 24.2 overs with only 85 runs on the board. However, spinner Regmi and fast bowler Kami, building a 107-run partnership for the seventh wicket, guided Nepal to the victory.
Regmi scored 56 runs hitting two sixes and one boundary in 83 deliveries while Kami made 66 runs off 77 balls that included two sixes and four boundaries.
Earlier, opening duo Gyanendra Malla and Sagar Pun could not give a solid start to the innings as they built only 28-run partnership for the first wicket. Malla made 39 runs off 51 balls while Pun managed to stroke 15 runs in 34 deliveries.
Sharad Vesawkar was dismissed for one run while Nepal lost its skipper Paras Khadka for a duck. Mohamed Aarif Sheikh contributed 21 runs for the team.
S Arvind claimed four wickets for the Indian side while Surendra G dismissed two Nepali batsmen. Likewise, M Silambarasan and Rathnam Avr pocketed one wicket each for Dindigul Dragons.
Only two batsmen managed to touch double figures for Dragons while three others were out for duck.
Asif Ya was the highest scorer for Dragons as he stroke 24 runs in 52 deliveries while Rathnam Var made 15 runs off 60 balls. Opening duo S Arvind and R Vivek were dismissed for four and one run respectively.
Nepal will play three more matches in Chennai.
Sandeep Lamichhane and Sompal Kami take one wicket each in ICC...
