Kathmandu, September 17
Nepal defeated Hong Kong by five wickets in the final of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup Qualifiers, becoming champions of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup Qualifiers-Easter Region.
With the win, Nepal qualified for the ACC U-19 Asia Cup to be held in Malaysia later this year. They will play against youth teams from test nations including India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In the match played today, Nepal had reached the target of 77 runs posted by the opponents in 14.4 overs at the loss of five wickets. Pranit Thapa Magar (not out) contributed 19 runs to Nepal’s victory.
Captain Direpndra Singh Airee made the highest score of 22 runs in the match as he played 26 balls.
Likewise, opener Sandeep Sunar made 19 runs in 21 balls. Another opener Aarif Shekh made only one run.
Anil Sah contributed 16 runs to Nepal.
Earlier, Nepal had won the toss and chose to field. Hong Kong could make only 76 runs in 32.1 overs. Sandeep Lamichhane and Sahab Alam took three wickets each to restrict Hong Kong.
In the semi-final played yesterday, Nepal had defeated Malaysia by 10 wickets to reach the final.
They had won over Thailand, Bhutan and Singapore in the group-stage matches.
