Kathmandu, May 13
Nepal faced a seven-wicket defeat against Hong Kong in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier match on Tuesday. This marks Nepal’s first loss in Group C, while Hong Kong registered their first win.
Due to a wet outfield, the match was reduced to five overs per side. Nepal, batting first after losing the toss, managed only 29 runs for 3 wickets. Opener Samjhana Khadka top-scored for Nepal with 10 runs off 7 balls, including one boundary. No other batter reached double figures. Captain Indu Barma remained unbeaten on 9 runs from 10 balls.
In reply, Hong Kong chased the 30-run target in just 4.3 overs, losing three wickets. Opener Shanzin Shahzad remained not out with 15 runs off 12 balls, including a six. Mariko Hill added 11 runs from 11 balls.
For Nepal, Kabita Kunwar was the standout bowler, taking 2 wickets for just 5 runs in 1.3 overs. Pooja Mahato was expensive, conceding 19 runs in her 2 overs.
With this win, Hong Kong now tops the group with 4 points from 3 matches, while Nepal is second with 3 points from as many games. The defeat has dealt a blow to Nepal’s hopes of topping the group and advancing to the Super Three stage.
Both Nepal and Hong Kong still have one match left against Bahrain. Nepal must defeat Bahrain to stay in contention, and will also be hoping for a favorable result in the Hong Kong vs. Bahrain match.
Nepal is scheduled to play Bahrain on Thursday, while Hong Kong will face Bahrain on Friday.
The qualifier features 9 teams divided into 3 groups, playing in a double round-robin format. The winners of each group will advance to the Super Three, where the top two teams will qualify for the global qualifier.
