Brilliant batting from skipper Paras Khadka and good batting from Sagar Pun helped Nepal seal a two-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Ports Authority Cricket Club on Tuesday in the third practice match of the national team in Sri Lanka.
The home team elected to bat first. Pun took four wickets as the Sri Lankan club was all out for 200 runs in 45.5 overs. In reply, skipper Khadka blasted 91 runs off 106 balls to guide Nepal to 204/8 with an over remaining.
Chasing 201, Nepal got disastrous start as it lost opener Anil Mandal and Vice-captain Gyanendra Malla without scoring. Another opener Subash Khakurel also added only 10 runs off 22 balls. Nepal was at 20/3 in 7.1 runs.
However, Khadka and Sharad Vesawkar put up a 128-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Khadka fell nine-run short of century in the 33.2 overs as the fourth wicket of Nepal. He struck seven sixes and four boundaries during his well-crafted innings. Binod Bhandari got out three balls later without scoring.
Vesawkar garnered 34 runs off 69 balls before getting out in the 35.3 overs. Prithu Baskota chipped in with 13 runs off 25 balls and Pradeep Airee added 24 runs off 35 balls. Airee was caught at slip in the last ball of the 46th over, when Nepal was in need off just two runs to win the match.
Basant Regmi scored the winning run in style with a boundary in the last ball of the penultimate over. Shakti Gauchan remained unbeaten with two runs.
Chanaka Komasaru and Anuk De Alwis took three wickets each for the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
Earlier, Nepali bowlers claimed wickets in regular interval to restrict the home side at 200. Spinner Pun remained on the peak of the Nepali bowling attack with the bowling figures of 10-1-36-4. Prithu Baskota and Avinash Karn claimed two wickets each while Basant Regmi dismissed a Sri Lankan batsman.
Gayashan Weerasekara (34 runs off 63 balls) was the top scorer for the home team while Gayan Maneeshan (28 runs off 35 balls), Mahela Udawatte (27 runs off 24 balls) and Raneesh Perera (26 runs off 38 balls) were the other major contributors.
Nepal had defeated Moors Cricket Club by two wickets and Colts Cricket Club by four wickets in the first two practice matches. Nepal will take on Bloomfield Cricket Club on Thursday in its last practice match in Sri Lanka.
Nepal team is in Sri Lanka to prepare for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers to be held in New Zealand from January 16 to February 1, 2014. Nepal team will fly to New Zealand directly from Sri Lanka. Nepal has a plan to have some practice sessions and matches in New Zealand before playing the qualifiers.