KATHMANDU, Aug 18: The Nepal cricket team has suffered its third consecutive defeat in the ongoing Top End Cricket series in Australia, losing to Melbourne Stars Academy by 31 runs today.
Earlier, Nepal had been beaten by Northern Territory and Bangladesh ‘A’.
At Darwin’s TIO Stadium, Melbourne won the toss and chose to bat first. Taking advantage of Nepal’s poor fielding, Blake MacDonald and Thomas Rogers both struck half-centuries, guiding their side to 175/7 in the allotted 20 overs.
Nepal suffers defeat in third practice match
Blake scored 74 while Thomas made 65, both dismissed by Sandeep Lamichhane. Other batters failed to impress.
In reply, Nepal could only manage 144/7. Apart from Kushal Bhurtel, whose quick 25 off 13 balls included four boundaries, most batters struggled with a strike rate under 110.
Aasif Sheikh top-scored with 53, while skipper Rohit Paudel contributed 33. For Melbourne, Austin Anlezark and Doug Warren bagged two wickets apiece, while Aryan Sharma and Chris Howe claimed one each.
With three defeats in a row, Nepal now sits 10th among 11 participating teams, ahead of only Australian Capital Territory.
Nepal will next face Big Bash League side Hobart Hurricanes Academy on Tuesday.
