KATHMANDU, April 9: Nepal's U-19 cricket team secured an 85-run win over Afghanistan in the third match of their series. Due to rain, the match was decided using the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method. Despite the victory, Afghanistan won the series 2-1.
The match, held at the Mulpani Cricket Ground, saw Nepal batting first after losing the toss. Nepal managed to score 191 runs before being all-out in 44.5 overs. Openers Sahil Patel and Niraj Kumar Chaudhary gave Nepal a solid start, with Patel scoring 46 runs and Yadav adding 42 runs. Roshan Bishwakarma contributed 28 runs, while captain Naren Bhatt made 22 runs.
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On the bowling front, Afghanistan’s Hafeez Jordan claimed the most wickets, taking 4, while Abdul Azizi and Zaitullah Shahin both took 2 wickets each. Ruhullah Arab and Mehmood Khan each claimed 1 wicket.
In response, Afghanistan was 46-1 after 20.1 overs when rain halted the game, and Nepal was declared the winner by 85 runs under the DLS method. Afghanistan's Faizal Sanojada scored 16, and Ajihullah Mia Khil was unbeaten on 15.
Nepal’s bowlers, led by Aparajit Paudel with 2 wickets, were supported by Dayanand Mandal, Bipin Sharma, Santosh Yadav, and Ashok Dhami, each taking 1 wicket.
Both Nepal and Afghanistan are preparing for the U-19 World Cup qualifiers, and the tournament, with five teams participating, is ongoing at Mulpani since Sunday.
