Nepal easily secured their second consecutive victory in the ongoing tri-nation T20 international cricket series, which features Nepal, UAE, and Hong Kong. On Thursday, Nepal defeated Hong Kong by 6 wickets at Mulpani Cricket Ground, following their win over UAE the previous day.
Nepal achieved the target of 95 runs set by Hong Kong, losing 4 wickets in 13 overs and 5 balls. Opener Aasif Shaikh was the top scorer for Nepal with 42 runs, smashing 6 fours off 34 balls. Captain Rohit Paudel contributed 25 unbeaten runs with 1 four and 2 sixes in 20 balls. Gulsan Jha chipped in with 14 unbeaten runs, including 2 sixes in 5 balls. However, Kushal Bhurtel managed 8 runs, Kushal Malla scored 1, and Sundeep Jora added 3 runs before getting out.
In Hong Kong’s bowling attack, off-spinner Ehsan Khan took 3 wickets, conceding only 10 runs in 4 overs, while Yasim Mortaza claimed 1 wicket.
Hong Kong lost the toss and were all out for 94 runs in 19.3 overs. Apart from Yasim Mortaza, who scored 36, and Zeeshan Ali, who contributed 17 runs, none of the Hong Kong batsmen reached double-digit scores.
Nepal’s bowlers were in fine form, with Karan KC taking 4 wickets for just 15 runs in 4 overs. Karan was named the player of the match, while Sompal Kami and Abinash Bohra each took 2 wickets, and Kushal Malla and Shyam Dhakal secured 1 wicket each.
In the next match of the series, Nepal will face Hong Kong on Saturday.
Additionally, Abinash Bohara achieved a significant milestone by reaching 50 T20 international wickets during the match. He became the third Nepali bowler to achieve this feat, following Sandeep Lamichhane (89 wickets) and Karan KC (69 wickets). Bohara has taken 51 wickets in 41 matches, including 40 innings. Sompal Kami, the fourth-highest wicket-taker, has secured 44 wickets in 47 matches.
