With the help of ex-captain Rubina Chhetry’s brilliant century, Nepal has entered the quarterfinals as the winner of Group D in the ongoing ACC Women’s Premier Cup in Malaysia.
Nepal defeated Maldives by 214 runs.
Rubina, who hit a historic century in the first innings, conceded only 2 runs in 3 overs during the second innings and took 3 wickets.
Chasing the target of 228 runs set by Nepal, Maldives were all out for just 13 runs in 13.5 overs.
None of the Maldives batter managed to score in double figures, with 6 players failing to open their account.
For Nepal, Ashmina Karmacharya took four wickets, while Puja Mahato and Rubina took three wickets each.
Before that, Nepal, having won the toss and elected to bat first, scored 227 runs after losing 4 wickets in the scheduled 20 overs.
Rubina Chhetry smashed an unbeaten 118 runs off just 59 balls, becoming the first Nepali woman cricketer to score a century in international cricket. Her knock included 10 fours and 3 sixes, surpassing the previous record of 82 runs held by Sita Ranamar. This historic achievement marks a significant moment for Nepali women’s cricket.
Puja Mahato played a half-century innings of 59 runs off 36 balls, contributing to a partnership of 166 runs between Rubina and Pooja for the fifth wicket.
This is also the highest team total achieved by Nepal, surpassing their previous high of 164 runs against Qatar in 2021.
Shamma Ali took three wickets and Naba Naseem took one wicket for Maldives.
Nepal secured its place in the quarterfinals of the tournament by winning two consecutive matches. After defeating Maldives in today’s match, Nepal became the winner of its group and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Following their group stage victory, Nepal will face Kuwait, the runner-up of Group A, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Earlier, Nepal won their first match against Hong Kong and the second match against Bhutan, both by eight wickets.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals. The two teams that reach the finals of the tournament will qualify for the Asia Cup.
