KATHMANDU, Nov 5: All-round performance from Pawan Sarraf and a bowling brilliance from Lalit Nath Rajbanshi helped Nepal national cricket team register a five-wicket win over the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in the second match of the MCC tour of Nepal in Kirtipur on Monday.
At the TU Cricket Ground, Sarraf and Rajbanshi picked up four wickets each for Nepal, while they were supported by half century from Binod Bhandari and a good cameo performance from Sarraf in the win.
Earlier, MCC won the toss, elected to bat first, and presented a target of 202 runs for the loss of all its wickets in 39.5 overs. In reply, Nepal chased the target hitting 205 runs with five wickets in hand in 37.3 overs.
Sarraf, Paudel star in Nepal’s dominant first win
The MCC openers started the game brightly with both of them hitting half centuries. Will Rhodes scored 54 runs off 71 balls with five boundaries, while he was supported by his opening partner Billy Godleman who hit 52 runs off 28 deliveries including two sixes and eight fours.
William Vanderspar scored 36 runs off 38 balls with two sixes and three fours, while Callum Jackson and Alex Thomson contributed 11 runs each for the team.
Also, Tom Westley hit 10 runs for MCC, but all the other batsmen failed to reach the double figures.
In bowling, Sarraf picked up four wickets conceding 31 runs in his eight-over spell which included a maiden, while Rajbanshi gave away 40 runs in his quest of taking four wickets in 10 overs with a maiden.
Likewise, Karan KC and Avinash Bohora pocketed a wicket each.
In reply, Nepal went from a terrible state of 18-2 with captain Gyanendra Malla and his opening partner Ishan Pandey out to 135-5 when Aarif Sheikh returned to the pavilion. But, middle order batsmen Sarraf and Bhandari handled the Nepali innings brilliantly and launched a super comeback to get a win.
Bhandari scored not out 52 runs off 64 balls with two sixes and three fours, while he was nearly outdone by Sarraf, who contributed 25-ball 38 runs with two sixes and four boundaries.
Similarly, Sarad Vesawakar added 24 runs off 49 balls with four boundaries. Also, Aasif Sheikh hit 23 runs off 30 balls with three fours, while Dipendra Singh Airee scored the same number of runs off 39 balls including two sixes.
Captain Malla went out for 10 runs off 15 balls with two fours, while Pandey only contributed four runs off three balls hitting a boundary.
Yasir Arafat was the pick of the MCC bowlers as he pocketed three wickets giving away 43 runs in his eight-over spell, while despite being able to take two wickets, Thomson was the most economical bowler conceding 59 runs in 10 overs. The other bowlers failed to get a wicket. Now, Nepal national cricket team will face MCC in a three-day game starting from Tuesday.
The tour will also consist of three T20s games during the MCC’s tour of Nepal.
