Despite brilliant bowling performance of Som Pal Kami and half centuries from Mahesh Chhetri and Gyanendra Malla, Nepal cricket team suffered a 24-run defeat against visiting side Delhi Wanderers on Tuesday in the Sagarmatha Cement Journey to World Cup Cricket Tournament, organized to help the preparation of Nepal team for the upcoming ICC World Cup Qualifiers.
Nepal coach Pubudu Dassanayake made some changes in the team that defeated Air India in the opening match of the tournament and included Naresh Budhayer, Ram Naresh Giri and Amrit Bhattarai in the team giving rest to captain Paras Khadka, Shakti Gauchan and Avinash Karn.
Stand-in Captain Gyanendra Malla won the toss and Nepal elected to field. Delhi Wanderers was all out for 235 runs in 44.1 overs in the match cut short to 45 overs each due to early morning fog at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. In reply, Nepal bundled out for only 211 runs in 41.4 overs.
Som Pal Kami
Delhi openers Satnam Singh (12 runs) and Rishav Chauhan (16 runs) put up a 31-run partnership but Nepali pacer Amrit Bhattarai claimed their wicket respectively in the first two balls of the seventh over. However, middle order batsmen came strongly and build up the innings. Arjun Gupta garnered 39 runs off 75 balls and Kshitiz Sharma scored 24 runs off 39 balls. Skipper Shivam Sharma blasted 61 runs off 54 balls including eight boundaries and a six to guide the Delhi team toward huge score.
Nepali pacer Som Pal Kami claimed four wickets and Ram Naresh Giri dismissed two others. Stand-in captain Malla also claimed a wicket but a quick-fired 29 runs off 19 balls by IPL player Pawan Negi and 19 runs added by Pawan Kumar down the order helped Delhi Wanderers reach the good total of 235.
Chasing it, Nepali opener Mahesh Chhetri (22 runs off 38 balls) and Anil Mandal gave a slow but useful start with a 47-run partnership. Naresh Budhayer added just four runs. Prithu Baskota and Sharad Vesawkar started well but could not consolidate in the middle. Baskota scored 17 runs off 23 balls and Vesawkar added 13 runs off 24 balls.
Opener Mandal and Gyanendra Malla scored half centuries in the match. Anchoring the innings, Mandal garnered 55 balls off 80 runs including five boundaries while Malla speed up Nepali innings with 51 runs off only 50 balls. Malla hit three boundaries and two sixes.
When Malla got out, Nepal was in need of just 43 runs off 47 balls with four wickets in hand. However, tail-enders, including special batsman Binod Bhandari, failed to survive on the crease.
Former Indian Test cricketer VVS Laxman bats with blindfold with Nepali blind cricketers and others during the innings break at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur on Tuesday to mark the 22nd World Disability Day.
Pawan Negi claimed three wickets for Delhi Wanderers while Shivam Maavi and Nukul Chopra took two wickets each. Abhay Negi took a wicket. Nepali batsmen Chhetri and Kami were short of the crease.
Meanwhile, Air India defeated Singapore by 136 runs on Tuesday at the Pulchowk Engineering Ground. Air India scored mammoth 309/3 in 45 overs as Pradeep Mallik scored 113 runs. In reply, Singapore was all out at 172 runs in 37 overs as Raj Pal claimed four wickets for Air India.