KATHMANDU, Nov 13: Nepal qualified for the ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup for the first time by defeating the UAE by 8 wickets in the final match of the Asian qualifiers on Wednesday.
The hosts scored a modest total of 83 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the allotted 20 overs in Ajman, UAE. In reply, Nepal achieved the target of 84 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 14.4 overs and qualified for the World Cup.
Nepal qualified for the World Cup by finishing first in the group with 5 wins from 6 matches. Although UAE also won 5 matches and secured 10 points, Nepal topped the group in the 4-nation qualifiers due to better run rate.
Nepal should advance three rounds to qualify
The World Cup will be held in Malaysia from January 18 to February 2, 2025. Nepal is in Group D of the World Cup along with Australia, Bangladesh and Scotland. Nepal's first match in the World Cup is against Bangladesh on January 18.
During Wednesday’s match against the UAE, Sana Prabin was the top scorer for Nepal with 35 runs and captain Puja Mahato scored 18 runs. Similarly, Sabitri Dhami scored 12 runs and Soni Pakhrin contributed13 runs.
Earlier, the home team, who batted first, scored 83 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. For the UAE, captain Samaira Dharani Dharka top-scored with 31, Rinitha Ranjitha scored 20 runs and Induja Nandakumari and Lavanya Keny scored 10 runs each.
For Nepal, Krishma Gurung took 4 wickets. She took 3 wickets in a single over. Similarly, Riya Sharma and Seemana KC took two wickets each and Rachana Chaudhary took one wicket.
