Kathmandu, June 8: Nepal secured a victory over Hong Kong in the final of the Asia Games Men’s Cricket Qualifier in Singapore, winning under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method after rain interrupted play.
Chasing a target of 189 runs set by Hong Kong, Nepal had reached 114 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 11.3 overs when rain stopped the match. The DLS par score at that stage was 95 runs, meaning Nepal was 19 runs ahead.
Nepal’s opening batter Kushal Bhurtel played a strong innings, scoring 65 runs off 40 balls. Rohit Paudel remained unbeaten on 35, while Dipendra Singh Airee was not out on 9 runs.
For Hong Kong, Aizaz Khan and Ayush Shukla took one wicket each.
Earlier, Hong Kong posted a competitive total of 188/7 in 20 overs after being put into bat. Anshuman Rath top-scored with 80 off 45 balls, hitting 6 fours and 6 sixes, while Nizakat Khan (Shahid Wasif) contributed 55 off 28 balls. Shiv Mathur added 26 runs.
Nepal’s bowling was led by Sher Malla, who took 4 wickets for 32 runs in 4 overs. Karan KC claimed 2 wickets, and Sandeep Lamichhane took 1 wicket.
Hong Kong were cruising at 179/5 in 18 overs but failed to finish strongly, adding only 9 runs in the final overs.
Both Nepal and Hong Kong entered the final unbeaten, but Nepal’s DLS victory ensured a historic finish for the tea. #nepal
However, both Nepal and Hong Kong, along with Malaysia and Oman have entered in the Asia Games.
