KATHMANDU, May 10: Nepal crashed out of the ACC U19 Elite Cup after being defeated by the United Arab Emirates by 76 runs in semifinals in Malaysia, on Friday.
Nepal won the toss and invited the UAE to bat first at Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur. However the decision backfired as the UAE went on to make a huge 271/7 in 50 overs, with S Chopra hitting a scintillating 114 off 115 balls with 17 fours and a six. [break]
Chasing a big total, Nepal was all out for 195 in 46.1 overs. Napal batsman Harishankar Shah played a composed innings of 52 that came off 67 balls with eight hits to the fence, while skipper Bhuwan Karki offered some resistance scoring 41 off 48 balls with three fours and a six.
Besides, no other batsmen could make significant contribution to Nepal’s run chase. D D’Souza took four wickets and S Gir claimed two to leave Nepal way short of the winning total.
Earlier, the UAE had a wobbly start losing three wickets in 6.3 overs with just 32 runs on board. However, man of the match Chopra shared a massive 171-run fourth wicket partnership with D D’Souza (58) that not only repaired the early damage but also placed the Gulf side in a strong position to win the match. D’Souza who played an anchor role faced 105 balls and hit two fours.
Nepal’s Avinash Karna took three wickets, Karki, S Bhari, Y Kumal and Nischal Pandey all took one wicket apiece. Today’s defeat also means Nepal will miss the U-19 World Cup 2014. Nepal had clinched the ACC U-19 Elite Cup in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 while it had finished runner-up in 1999 and 2011.
In another match Afghanistan beat host Malaysia by 140 runs. Batting first, Afghanistan scored 233 for the loss of eight wickets in 50 overs. In reply, Malaysia was all out for 93 in 45 overs. Afghanistan and the UAE will clash for the title on Saturday.
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