Visiting Nepal secure T20 crown
Sports CS Amina Mohamed (left) hands over the trophy to Nepal captain Sandeep Lamichhane after they won the T20 completion of their bilateral series against Kenya on August 30, 2022 at the Nairobi Gymkhana Club.
What you need to know:
- In chasing Nepal’s 175 runs for the loss of seven wickets, Kenya in their innings settled on Collins Obuya and Sukhdeep Singh as the opening batsmen.
- That partnership did not last long as Singh was bowled out by Karan KC in the 1.3 overs. Singh who managed just four runs from six balls was replaced by Irfan Karim.
Nepal on Tuesday emerged winners of the five-match Twenty20 bilateral series pitting them against hosts Kenya at Nairobi Gymkhana Club.
Nepal, ranked 14th in the men’s International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 standings, carried the day when they beat Kenya by 31 runs to win the series 3-2.
Unlike in previous matches of the T20 series where Nepal chose to field after winning the toss, this time coach Manoj Prabhakar’s side opted to bat.
They were impressive in their innings, setting a target of 175 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their innings.
Kenya, who are ranked 30th, were not successful in chasing the target, managing 144 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
Nepla's Gyanendra Malla (centre) bats as Kenya wicket-keeper Irfan Karim (left) during their Twenty20 bilateral series match on August 30, 2022 at the Nairobi Gymkhana Club.
Nepal got off to a bright start - their first wicket falling late in the 7.6 overs -when Arjun Saud, partnering Gyanendra Malla was stamped by Irfan Karim off Shem Ngoche bowling.
Saud left for the showers a satisfied opening batsman having combined with Malla for 65 runs off a total 47 balls. He spiced up his 29 runs from 20 balls with four fours and a six.
Saud’s replacement Dependra Singh developed another impressive wicket partnership with Malla, increasing the score to 105 runs before Singh was dismissed in 12.5 overs.
In the five overs that he spent on the wicket, Singh managed 22 runs from balls that he faced including three fours.
The impressive Malla was eventually dismissed in the 14.2 overs when he was caught by Rakep Patel off Vraj Patel’s bowl.
Malla left for the pavilion with 59 runs to his name from 44 balls including five fours and two sixes.
One over later, Nepal lost the fourth wicket when Pawan Saaraf was bowled out by Ngoche.
Rohit Paudel, who replaced Singh in the 12.5 overs, was Nepal’s second top scorer after Malla with 47 runs from 25 balls including seven fours.
In chasing Nepal’s 175 runs for the loss of seven wickets, Kenya in their innings settled on Collins Obuya and Sukhdeep Singh as the opening batsmen.
That partnership did not last long as Singh was bowled out by Karan KC in the 1.3 overs. Singh who managed just four runs from six balls was replaced by Irfan Karim.
“Kenya has been a good side throughout this series. They pushed us to the limit, and I am happy to be on the winning side,” said Nepal’s captain Sandeep Lamichhane.
Kenya’s captain Shem Ngoche said they took a lot of positives from the series which will go a long way in building a formidable team.
“Definitely it is always disappointing to lose. But as a team, we decided to give everyone a chance to find the right combination. In future, we know who can bat and bowl well,” said Ngoche.
Sports CS Amina Mohamed, who attended the match alongside Cricket Kenya chairman Manoj Patel, congratulated the two teams for a good show in the series.
“Cricket is a heritage sport and we are delighted that this game is finally back here. We look forward to many more matches,” said the CS.
Nepal’s opening batsman Gyanendra Malla was crowned the Man-of-the-Match having scored 59 runs from 44 balls including five fours and two sixes.
The tournament takes a two-day break before the start of the three One Day International matches on Friday at the same venue.
