Nepal has entered the semi-finals of the ACC Premier Cup remaining unbeaten in the group stage matches. Nepal defeated Saudi Arabia by 6 wickets in the final match of the group stage.
Chasing the 74-run target set by Saudi Arabia at the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium in Oman on Wednesday, Nepal reached it in 7.2 overs losing 4 wickets.
Gulsan Jha topped the score with 32 runs including two fours and two sixes off 19 deliveries followed by Dipendra Singh Airee with 17 runs while captain Rohit Paudel contributed 16 runs. The other batsmen could not achieve significant runs.
On the bowling side, Ishtiaq Ahmad took 2 wickets while USman Najeeb and Waji Ul Hassan claimed 1 wicket each for Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, invited to bat first after losing the toss, Saudi Arabia notched up 73 runs losing 7 wickets in the reduced 8 overs. The T20 over was reduced to 8-over after the match was delayed due to rain.
Abdul Waheed made the highest score with 37 runs including 3 fours and 3 sixes off 16 balls. The other batsmen could not achieve double-digit runs.
In reply, Karan KC and Abinash Bohara took 2 wickets each while Lalit Rajbanshi and Pratis GC grabbed 1 wicket each.
With the 6-wicket defeat to Nepal, Arabia’s journey to the semi-finals of the ACC Premier Cup has ended. With Saudi’s defeat, Hong Kong entered semi-finals as the group runner-up based on the run-rate.
In another match, Hong Kong defeated Malaysia by 7 wickets today. Hong Kong reached the target of 141 runs in 12.1 overs losing 3 wickets
Even though both Hong Kong and Qatar have equal four points, Hong Kong made it to the semi-finals based on the run rate. Qatar crashed out of its journey to the semi-finals.
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