Nepal’s U-19 women’s cricket team suffered a setback in their third match of the ongoing ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier, losing to the hosts, UAE.
With only the top team from the four-team tournament qualifying for the U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, this defeat has made Nepal’s journey to the global stage more challenging. UAE, on the other hand, registered their third consecutive win.
Nepal lost to UAE by 13 runs in a match held on Saturday.
Chasing a target of 123 runs, Nepal could only manage 109 runs for 5 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Captain Puja Mahato top-scored for Nepal with 48 runs off 43 balls, including 5 fours. Sana Praveen and Sony Pakhrin contributed 19 runs each, while Jyotsnika Marasini remained unbeaten on 11.
For UAE, Mehak Thakur, Lavanya Keny, and Idhuja Nandakumar claimed one wicket each.
Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, UAE posted a total of 122 runs for 7 wickets in their 20 overs. Rinitha Rajith was the top scorer for UAE with 48 runs off 33 balls, including 5 fours and 2 sixes. Opener Lavanya Keny scored 20 off 32 balls.
Nepal made a strong comeback, picking up 5 wickets for 44 runs in the last 9 overs to restrict UAE.
With this win, UAE remained undefeated in three matches, topping the table with six points. Nepal, with four points from three matches, slipped to the second position. Thailand and Kuwait are yet to win a match in their respective two matches.
Nepal will next face Thailand on Sunday, November 10. They will then play against Kuwait on Tuesday, November 12, and UAE on Wednesday, November 13. Nepal had defeated Thailand by 67 runs and Kuwait by 108 runs in their previous two matches.
The tournament will conclude on November 29. The top team will qualify for the World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Malaysia next year.
