Nepal’s miserable performance in New Zealand continued as Hong Kong thrashed Nepal by 10 wickets with 100 balls remaining to record their first win in 50-over match since 2000.
Openers Irfan Ahmed hit 86 and Waqas Barkat got 56 as they went past Nepal’s lowly total of 150 in 33.2 overs without any trouble.
The huge loss means Nepal’s chances of qualifying to Super Six, therefore World Cup 2015 and/or ODI status for next four years, is now practically put to rest.
Basant Regmi hit 45 coming in at No#8 and took Nepal to respectable total. Photo: ICC/IDI/GettyImages
Scotland’s victory over UAE later in the day ensured that Nepal has no chance whatsoever to reach the Super Six stage.
Nepal lost the match half-way through the first innings when it lost 8 wickets for 65 runs on board with only captain Paras Khadka getting double-digit, 29. The top and middle order failed miserably with no one scoring much.
Anil Mandal (3), Sagar Pun (2), Gyanendra Malla (0), Prithu Baskota (1), Shakti Gauchan (8), Sharad Veswakar (4) and Binod Bhandari (8) all couldn’t cope with Hong Kong bowling.
Pacer Haseeb Amjad was the chief destroyer taking 4 for 40 off his 9.3 overs. Aizaz Khan and Irfan Ahmed grabbed a couple of wickets each.
If Nepal reached a respectable total, it was because of Basant Regmi and Sompal Kami to added 57 of 9th wicket. Basant got out as last man after scoring 45 while Sompal, who had been out on duck in earlier two matches, hit 26.
Irfan Ahmed hits 86 not out in Nepal’s thrashing by 10 wickets. Photo: IDI/Getty Images
For Hong Kong, which has been performing brilliantly in the tournament, the score was never going to be a trouble. Irfan, who had his a century a day earlier, was seen in a same flair while Waqas who struggled earlier to score got a patient half-century to guide their team home.
Spinners bowled tightly in middle overs but that was never going to be enough.
There is nothing for Nepal to take away from the match apart from the hope that it was a bad day. It’s Nepal’s fifth straight loss in New Zealand including two warm up matches, which were tight, and two earlier league matches, both of which were big margin losses.
Hong Kong captain Jamie Atkinson was thrilled with another strong performance, which sees his side move to top spot in the Group A table. “Winning is a habit, and with three wins from three – we couldn’t have asked for a better start.”
“The two openers did a brilliant job today. The team is really enjoying their cricket, confidence is high and we just need to keep our consistency up,” he said.
Nepal captain Paras Khadka was disappointed after his side’s third straight loss. “We’ve worked very hard to make it this far, but unfortunately at this tournament things haven’t fallen into place for us.”
The skipper hopes for a better performance from his team in the final group match against Canada.
“The tournament’s still not over for us. We still need to push for that highest position possible, so that we stay as highly ranked as possible.”
Nepal’s final match of first round is against Canada on January 21.