KATHMANDU, Aug 30: Nepal will have to defeat host Malaysia on Monday to keep its chances of winning the title of the ACC U-19 Premier League alive.
Since Nepal has recorded only one win from two matches, it has to beat Malaysia in the crucual fixture scheduled to be played at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur at 7.15 NST.
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This will be the eighth encounter between Nepal and Malaysia in the U-19 level and going by the past records, Nepal seems to have the upper hand against the host.
Nepal has won six matches and has lost only once against Malaysia.
Nepal beat Malaysia by seven wickets in the group stage of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup held in Malaysia in 2013 but lost to the home team by six wickets in the 3rd place play-off match.
However, Nepal avenged the defeat last time during the ACC U-19 Premier League held in Kuwait last year. Nepal beat Malaysia by 52 runs in the event that also served as qualifiers for next year's ICC U-19 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh.
Afghanistan topped the tournament and got a direct entry to the World Cup while Nepal finished second and qualified for another playoff -- the ICC U-19 Qualifiers -- to be held in Malaysia from October 14 to 23.
Nepal sees the current tournament as one of the best platforms to prepare for the qualifiers.
However, the immediate hurdle is the match against Malaysia. Victory is crucial to stay in the title hunt, but its fate will also depend upon results of heavy-weight Afghanistan.
Earlier in the tournament, Nepal defeated the United Arab Emirates by 149 runs in the opener but lost by 10 wickets to Afghanistan in the second match.
Meanwhile, Malaysia beat Saudi Arabia by 181 runs in the opener and thrashed Kuwait by eight wickets in second match in the round-robin league featuring six teams.
Nepal will face Kuwait in its fourth match on Tuesday.
