Despite a five-wicket defeat against the USA amidst bad behavior of the spectators, Nepal qualified for the final and earned promotion to Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 being a whisker ahead on net run rate.
USA celebates the victory. Raising his bat is man of the match Sushil Nadkarni. Photo by NepalSportsPhoto.com
After scoring a lowly 162/9 in 50 overs in a jam-packed TU Cricket Ground, Nepal neither succeeded in defeating the USA nor making them win taking more than 38 overs — a point initially calculated safe for Nepal to reach the finals.
The 15,000-odd spectators began moving out when the USA reached 150/5 in 32 overs after hitting Basanta Regmi for three sixes in an over. They also threw plastic bottles and stone pebbles on the ground forcing the umpires to suspend the game for 30 minutes.
The game resumed with the USA getting a revised target of 157 in 46 overs. USA needed nine more balls to reach the revised total.
The organizing International Cricket Council (ICC) only confirmed the net run-rate a couple of hours after the match was concluded. Nepal qualified for the finals ahead of Singapore, who chased Jersey´s 192 in 26 overs in an attempt to improve their run rate, by 0.004.
WCL Div 5 Media Manager Lucy Benjamin, tournament director Andrew Faichney and match referee DT Jukes in consultation after the match was stopped due to crowd trouble. Photo by NepalSportsPhoto.com
Had the USA beaten Nepal two balls earlier, in 33.1 overs, Singapore would have gone through to the final along with the USA. If crowd disturbance had not reduced the USA target, Nepal would probably have missed out.
USA troubled Nepal early after Paras Khadka won the toss and elected to bat first. Nepal were down to 80/6 in 31.2 overs with Kevin Darlington and Orlando Baker picking two wickets each.
Nepal included Anil Mandal at the expense of former captain Binod Das, who was dropped for the first time since he debuted for the national side, but that did not improve Nepal´s opening batting. Dipendra Chaudhary, Anil, Shakti Gauchan, Paras Khadka, Sharad Vesawkar and Mahesh Chhetri failed to score big.
Gyanendra Malla scored half-century in Nepal's low total. Photo by NepalSportsPhoto.com
If Nepal reached an honorable total, it was because Gyanendra Malla and Mehboob Alam, dropped down the order, partnered 62 runs. But both of them were out on a wrong time, in the 45th over.
Mehboob was run-out after making 38 off 44 balls with two fours and a six while Gyanendra completed a half-century before being adjudged leg-before off Lennox Cush.
Nepal needed acceleration at the end but US bowlers prevented that. Darlington, the leading wicket-taker, took another to finish at 3/23.
USA´s reply did not begin on a high-note as Mehboob picked Baker early and introduction of spinners slowed down the run-rate temporarily.
US batsmen attacked spinners in a way they have been not attacked in recent history and the formidable spin bowling tumbled – the highlight of which was Sushil Nadkarni´s three sixes off Basanta.
Captain Steve Massiah contributed with a calm 42 while former Indian U-19 player Nadkarni stormed an unbeaten 57 in 59 balls with three fours and four sixes. Thyagarajan contributed with an unbeaten 18.
For Nepal, Sanjam Regmi, Basanta and Rahul Bishwakarma each took a wicket for Nepal.
“We could not take wickets in the right time while USA batted well,” Paras commented after the match. “Losing Gyanendra and Mehboob in an over turned the match.”
He was disappointed. “I can´t exactly explain what happens to us as luck does not seem to be on our side in crucial matches,” he added.
Coach Roy Dias said the team failed to put enough runs on the board to defend.
US captain Massiah said they cashed in on the weakness of Nepal. “I knew their inability to play the pace and exploited it,” he said.
He said that the crowd were fantastic and said that it was natural for them to want Nepal to win.
CROWD TROUBLE: Volunteers clean up ground after crowd trouble. Photo by NepalSportsPhoto.com
Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 5 Points Table
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Jersey, Fiji relegated
Elsewhere, Singapore defeated Jersey at the Army Ground by seven wickets in mere 26 overs. Jersey’s top order put up a spirited effort including a half-century from opener Matt Hague but the side was all out for 192.
It took Singapore’s captain and vice-captain to see them through to the end with Buddika Mendis returning unbeaten on 85 while Aurora concluded the game on 45. Mendis also walked away with the Man of the Match award after recording figures of of 3-18.
A disappointed Jersey coach Craig Hogan said: “We absolutely got what we deserved. We didn’t do anything together for 50 overs during the tournament.
“We couldn’t bat well for 50 overs and you can’t continuously lose your last six wickets for 20 or 30 runs and you can’t go for 50, 60 or 70 runs in the power play. There are fundamental basic things that we haven’t done and we have got what we deserved.
“We have to work a bit harder and value our wickets a bit. When things don’t go your way you just have to scrounge and fight and we didn’t do that.”
In the final game of the day, Bahrain took on Fiji at the Engineering Ground in a match that saw Joe Rika’s men make their biggest innings total of the tournament so far, but in vain.
The Fijians were chasing down a target of 276 in their 50 overs, something that looking at their form in the tournament they were unlikely to achieve.
Bahrain’s match-winning performance came in the form of the player who had helped them to win promotion to WCL Div. 5 – Tahir Dar. The 34-year-old smashed his way to 54 in 30 balls, including seven fours and two sixes before taking bowling figures of 4-19.
Saturday’s final will see USA face Nepal at Tribhuvan University, Singapore play Bahrain at Engineering in the third/fourth play-off and Jersey take on Fiji at Army Ground for fifth/sixth.