Nepal faced a 7-wicket defeat at the hands of Hong Kong in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier.
Hong Kong achieved the target of 30 runs set by Nepal in 4.3 overs, losing 3 wickets. The match, which started late due to wet ground conditions caused by last night's rain, was shortened to 5 overs per side.
For Hong Kong, opener Shanzeen Shahzad remained unbeaten on 15 runs, while Yasmin Daswani remained not out on 3 runs. Kary Chan and captain Natasha Miles were dismissed for zero runs. In the final over, Hong Kong needed 3 runs to win. On the first ball, Kabita Kunwar bowled Mariko Hill out, but Hong Kong scored 2 runs on the second ball and 1 run on the third ball, securing the victory.
Earlier, at the Asian Institute of Technology Ground in Bangkok, Thailand, Nepal batted first after Hong Kong won the toss and chose to field. Nepal managed to score 29 runs in the allotted 5 overs, losing 2 wickets.
For Nepal, Samjhana Khadka scored 10 runs before getting caught out. Captain Indu Barma contributed 9 runs, while Rubina Chhetri remained not out on 4 runs. Puja Mahato was caught out for 3 runs, and Kabita Kunwar was bowled out after scoring 2 runs.
Having shared points with Hong Kong in the first match, Nepal's chance to reach the Super 3 stage has become slimmer after this defeat. However, Nepal had previously defeated Bahrain by 9 wickets in their second match.
The match between Hong Kong and Bahrain was canceled due to rain. Nepal will now play against Bahrain in their final group-stage match on Thursday. Hong Kong and Bahrain will face each other on Friday.
For Nepal to qualify for the Super 3 stage, they must win against Bahrain, and Bahrain must defeat Hong Kong in their next match.
Nepal is placed in Group C alongside Bahrain and Hong Kong. Group A includes host Thailand, Bhutan, and Kuwait, while Group B consists of the UAE, Qatar, and Malaysia.
The group stage follows a double round-robin format, with the top teams from each group advancing to the Super 3 stage. The top two teams from the Super 3 will then qualify for the Global Qualifier.
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