After struggling with the bat throughout the tournament, Nepali openers finally came to the party on the day that mattered smashing the victory target of 125 runs in just 23.3 overs.
Sagar Pun batted majestically for his unbeaten 65 while Akash Pariyar, replacing Kriten Gurung who opened in all the previous matches, gave good company making 53 in an exhibition of free-flowing batsmanship.
"I wanted to prove that I am a good player after failing to deliver before the final," a relieved Pun said after the match. "I played well because I had a good partner at the other end," Pun, who had the best opening partnership of just 45 with Kriten Gurung in this tournament, said while Pariyar also reciprocated praising Pun in return.
Majestic Pun
Pun was all class right from the beginning as he hooked a short ball from Muhammad Ramdan Samsudin to fine leg for a single to open his and Nepal´s account in the first over. Pariyar deliberately edged through the vacant third man for a boundary in the same over and then followed it up with a lofted drive above the cover the very next ball. Pariyar again steered to the point boundary for a four two overs later and Pun took over from there.Pun showed his class flicking a leg stump full toss from Kavitheran Kumar over square leg for a six in the sixth over and played a fine leg glance for a boundary off the same bowler in his next over.
He then played shots all over the ground driving with power and using his wrists to place the balls on the on-side. He even pulled medium pacer Samsudin off the front foot in front of the square for four.
The duo effectively ended the contest bringing up the 50 partnership in the 10th over and Malaysia, which has been the best fielding side of the tournament, uncharacteristically started to make some silly fielding errors.
Pariyar mistimed a lofted shot while on 29 when the team score was 68 in the 15th over but the ball bounced in front of the mid off fielder. That was the closest Malaysia came to breaking the partnership and the only way Nepal looked likely to lose a wicket was due to indecisive running owing to Pariyar´s leg injury that has hampered him throughout the tournament.
Pun reached his fifty with a six over long on in the 21st over while Pariyar reached his pulling a shortish ball to the square leg boundary the next over. It was the first international fifties for both the batsmen with 49 against Bahrain in a U-15 two-day match in 2006 and 48 against the Malaysian U-15 side in Kathmandu in 2007 being the previous highest scores for Pun and Pariyar respectively.
Pun hoicked a six over mid-wicket to tie the team scores off the penultimate ball of the 23rd over and then rightfully chased a very wide ball, that would have given Nepal the victory, to hit the winning run but could not pierce the packed off-side field.
Pariyar completed the formality in the next over driving through the covers to earn Nepal its first ever U-17 tournament victory having dominated the Asian U-15 and U-19 versions for a long time.
"We are part of history. There was added pressure to win this missing trophy for Nepal but we have achieved it through our team spirit," captain Prithu Baskota said after the match.
The victory was also special since it was the last U-17 tournament as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has decided to scrap the tournament due to problem in age verification process.
Man-of-the-match Pun hammered three sixes and seven fours during his 60-ball knock while Pariyar also hit seven fours in his 81-ball innings.
The duo also registered the highest partnership in this tournament obliterating the 117-run partnership for the second wicket between Singaporean Mohit Kulkarni and Timothy Singham, who was later adjudged the best batsman of the tournament, against Qatar at the IOE Ground, Pulchowk.
It was also the best ever partnership in U-17 cricket for Nepal bettering the 123 runs added by Shakti Gauchan and Monik Shrestha for the fourth wicket against Singapore in Bangladesh on February 19, 2001. The previous highest opening partnership for Nepal at this level was 105 between Sharad Vesawkar and Mahesh Chhetri against Qatar in Vishakhapatnam, India on January 14, 2004.
Dipesh Shrestha
Malaysian collapse
Nepal looked in trouble earlier as Zubair Asyraf Noorazmi gave Malaysia a rollicking start after deciding to bat first. He smashed six fours in his 39-ball 31 and looked to be taking the match away from Nepal before Pradeep Airee had him caught by skipper Baskota. "That wicket was the most vital point of this match," Baskota acknowledged after the match.
But Malaysia again recovered through skipper Keithan Goonasagaran (28) and was well placed at 59/2 in 15 overs. But Nepali spinners choked Malaysia as it could add just 25 runs losing three wickets in the next 14 overs bowled between Baskota, Bhuwan Karki and Rochak Bhatta.
Muhamad Ramdan Samsudin used the long handle to good effect hammering 21 off 19 that included the only six of the Malaysian innings and two fours to counterattack but was run out brilliantly by Baskota who ran half way from cover toward the nonstriker´s end with the ball and hit the stumps with an under-arm throw. Malaysia was eventually bowled out for 124 in 37.1 overs which looked at least 50 runs short of what it looked set to achieve.
Baskota took three wickets while Rochak Bhatta grabbed a couple for Nepal.
"The batsmen threw away their wickets after a good start and 125 was not enough on this track," Malaysian coach Mohammad Haris Abu Bakir fumed after the match. "We had to bat for 40 overs and I think even 180 would have given a good chance to our spinners," Bakir said adding that his players were not aiming for too big a target.
But he was also lavish in praise for Nepali batting and singled out Pun for his chanceless stroke-play. "We were outplayed in all departments," he conceded.
Nepal´s Sri Lankan coach Roy Dias was all smiles after the stupendous batting performance. "It was an amazing end to the tournament. Winning a tournament final by 10 wickets is rare and I don´t remember such victory at any level in international cricket," Dias enthused.
"I used to tell the boys to do it for Nepal previously but today I asked them to do it for me as I also qualify to be a Nepali now," Dias joked before hinting at his displeasure with the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) for offering only a one-year extension to his contract instead of two as requested by him.
"One cannot plan for long through a one-year contract," Dias reasoned. He felt that the senior team needed more tournaments and matches against stronger opponents if it was to emulate the junior teams.
Qatari skipper Tammor Sajjad was adjudged the man-of-the series for his all-round display while Mohammad Salar Waqar was declared the best bowler of the tournament.
CAN announced a cash award of Rs 240,000 for the victorious team while sponsor Boost also promised to give attractive gift hampers to the members of the team.
