Best bowler, man of the match and best batsman of the match all beam up after Nepal’s victory.
Nepal cleaned up the remaining 7 wickets in two hours to register a 205-run victory over Singapore on the last day of the ACC Premier League match at the TU Cricket Ground.
Resuming their innings at 116/3, Singapore soon went into trouble as the overnight batsmen returned pavilion early. Captain Chaminda Ruwan added six more runs and completed his half-century but soon found counter-part Binod Das at the covers when he sliced a Mehboob Alam delivery.
Before that, Buddika Mendis nicked Binod as wicket-keeper Mahesh Chhetri took a good low catch. He didn’t add to his overnight 10 while Ruwan made 55 off 92 balls with nine fours.
Binod then sent Mohd Shoib’s stumps into air and next ball Pramodh Raja played him straight to Raj Kumar Pradhan at mid-on. He was on the hat-trick but his lbw appeal against Iftekar Haider was turned down.
Basant Regmi and Raj Kumar each took a wicket to bring them down to 176/9 before the last pair added 20 runs. Binod could have finished with 10 wickets in the match but his two overs to the last pair produced no wickets. It was Paras Khadka who go the last man, B Vignesh, out. Vignesh was caught smartly at slips by Binod.
Vignesh scored 23 while Haider went on to score 18. Binod finished with 4/52 – a match haul of 9/76 while Mehboob and Basant took two each. Mehboob was declared man of the match while Paresh Lohani and Binod Das were declared best batsman and best bowler respectively.
Nepal earned 33.5 points while Singapore got 12.5 from the match.
Brief scorecard: Nepal 313/9d (Paresh 103, Mehboob 76, Paras 69) and 178/6 (Paras 56, Mehboob 51) defeated Singapore 90 (Binod Das 5/24, M Shoib 20*) and 196 (Binod Das 4/52, C Ruwan 55) by 205 runs.
DAY II Report
Nepal on the verge of victory
Binod Das took five wickets to end Singaporean innings at 90.
Nepal eyes a thumping victory over Singapore in the ACC Premier League after a splendid batting and bowling performance on the second day at TU Cricket Ground Saturday.
Nepal bowled out Singapore for 90 runs – just 43 more than overnight score of 47/4 – taking a first innings lead of 223 runs. In the second innings, Nepal declared at 178/6 after Mehboob Alam and Paras Khadka each added their second half-century in the match. At stumps, Singapore was 116/3 needing 286 more for victory.
Early this morning, captain Binod Das took three wickets to complete his sixth five-wicket haul while Mehboob, Paras and Shakti Gauchan each took one to end Singapore innings. Binod returned with 5/24 and was on a hat trick once. Singapore was at one stage 58/8 but a 30-run stand between topscorer Mohammad Shoaib (20*) and B Vignesh (13) took it near the three-digit mark.
Nepal could have enforced follow-on but that would have robbed Nepal of bonus batting points of second innings. Nepal batted again targeting 200 runs but Singapore bowled well to force a declaration at 178/6 that yielded 3.5 batting points.
Paras was the topscorer with 56 off 45 balls with six fours and three sixes while Mehboob got 51 off 53 with six fours and a six. Openers Paresh Lohani (27), Sharad Vesawkar (16) and Gyanendra Malla (14) also contributed. Both Paras and Mehboob had scored half-centuries in the first innings.
Singapore had a mammoth target to achieve but it began positively as if chasing a victory. It was 74/2 in the first 15 overs but the spinners applied some brakes and the visitors ended the day at 116/3 with two Sri Lankan players unbeaten.
Captain Chaminda Ruwan, who had scored two centuries in the series’ two matches, is playing on 49 eight boundaries while Buddhika Mendis is on 10. Dharmichand Mulewa, who was dropped at long-on by Sharad while on 15, scored 28 before being caught at the same place off left-arm spinner Basanta Regmi. Mehboob and Binod have taken a wicket each.
DAY I Report
Nepal Takes Cotrol Over Singapore
Mehboob Alam scores a quick half-century to propel Nepal to 313/9d.
Opener Paresh Lohani scored his second century in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Premier League three-day match on Friday to put Nepal in a commanding position in the match against Singapore at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground.
Nepal declared its first innings at 313/9 while reduced Singapore to 47/4 before bad light stopped play on the first day.
This is the only third century from a Nepali batsman in the 14 ACC Premier League matches played. Paresh capitalized on the three drop-chances in the batting friendly track at the TU Ground. He belted 11 fours in his innings of 103 runs off 190 deliveries. He reached the century with a single off Dharmichand Mallewa towards gully. He was dropped on three occasions while he was on 13, 42 and 82 runs respectively.
Earlier Nepal had a rather indifferent start loosing another opener Mahesh Chhetri for a duck after the Singaporean skipper Chaminda Ruwan elected to field first at the grassy wicket of TU Ground. After an early shock Sharad Vesawkar accompanied Paresh for the second wicket with a partnership of 45 runs. Sharad, who made fluent 35 runs with six boundaries, chopped a short ball from Buddhika Mendis on to his stumps while attempting a pull.
Gyandedra Malla (4) did not last long either as he ended up giving an easy catch at mid-wicket off Dharmichand. That followed with another wicket of Shakti Gauchan who did not trouble the scorers either as Nepal slumped to 74/4. Mehboob Alam’s arrival at the crease helped Nepal’s course as he played a flamboyant innings of 74 runs with three sixes and 10 boundaries to bail Nepal out of trouble.
He reached his half-century with a six off Dharmichand in 57 balls. He perished while trying to cut one rising delivery off Mohammad Shoib before giving a 118-run stand for the fifth wicket with Paresh. Nepal was already eyeing 300 plus by that time with more than 37 overs remaining in its first innings. Paras Khadka’s aggressive innings of 69 runs at the end produced another commendable stand of 83 runs for the sixth wicket with Paresh.
He also reached half-century with a six off Dharmichand in same number of balls. Paresh than fell while attempting a tired looking sweep shot off Dharmichand for 103 runs. Basanta Regmi became the third Nepali batsman to return without scoring while skipper Binod Das remained unbeaten on 22 runs. Nepal was at 308/6 at tea but decided to carry on just to loose two more wickets for just 5 runs.
Dharmichand, who was at the receiving end of the Nepali batsmen’s onslaught, ended up picking four wickets for Singapore at the cost 101 runs while Buddhika Mendis picked a couple.
Skipper Binod Das led Nepali bowling attack from the front capturing two wickets to put Nepal on the driver’s seat. He went through the defense of Meyer Gleen Brenden (19) to uproot his stumps in the third over. In the next over wicket-keeper Mahesh Chhetri took a splendid diving catch down the leg side that took the gloves of Riaz Altaf Hussain (4). Nepal had two more wickets in the total of 19 overs that Singapore played in its first innings.
Paras Khadka ran out Dharmichand for 11 runs as Singapore lost the third wicket at 40 runs. But the biggest wicket Nepal was of Buddhika Mendis. Gyanedra Malla pulled up a blinder at short-leg off Raj Kumar Pradhan to get rind off the lefthander for a duck.
Nepal has accumulated eight bonus points, six from batting and two from bowling, while Singapore has managed five bonus points, 4.5 from bowling and 0.5 from batting. Skipper Chaminda Ruwana (10*) along with Mohammad Shoib (0*) will resume the play for Singapore on the second day.