Arya News - Saudi Arabia recovered from an early setback through Abdul Waheed before Nepal’s spinners triggered a late collapse; Gulshan Jha then sealed the chase with an unbeaten 44.
KATHMANDU – Nepal reached the semi-finals of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup after defeating Saudi Arabia by five wickets at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Chasing 191, Nepal reached 193-5 in 41 overs, with Gulshan Kumar Jha finishing unbeaten on 44 from 35 balls. Rohit Kumar Paudel was unbeaten on 24 from 37 balls.
Nepal’s chase was steady rather than spectacular. Arjun Kumal and Aasif Sheikh put on 28 for the opening wicket before both fell in quick succession. Dev Khanal and Ishan Pandey then rebuilt the innings with a 73-run third-wicket partnership, taking Nepal to 113-3.
Pandey’s dismissal at 125-4 and Dipendra Singh Airee’s departure five runs later briefly gave Saudi Arabia hope, but Jha and Paudel put the result beyond doubt with an unbeaten 61-run partnership.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s innings followed a similar pattern of recovery followed by collapse.
Captain Waji Ul Hassan was bowled by Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi for a duck in the second over, but Abdul Waheed and Muhammad Atif settled the innings with a 94-run second-wicket partnership. Waheed was particularly aggressive, striking 77 from 89 balls with 10 fours and two sixes, while Atif made 30 from 68.
Saudi Arabia reached 112-2 before Waheed was trapped lbw by Rajbanshi in the 30th over. His dismissal proved the turning point. From 112-2, Saudi Arabia slumped to 166-9 as Nepal’s spinners repeatedly broke through the middle and lower order.
Mohammed Hisham Shaikh briefly resisted with 28 from 50 balls, but Dipendra Singh Airee removed him before Sher Malla dismissed Zainul Abidin for 12.
Saudi Arabia’s last-wicket pair, Ishtiaq Ahmad and Muhammad Saqib, then added 24 to push the total to 190. Saqib made 14 from 13 balls before Airee dismissed him in the final over, leaving Ishtiaq unbeaten on 10.
Skipper Sandeep Lamichhane led Nepal’s attack with 3-19 from 10 overs, including two maidens. Airee took 3-43 from 9.2 overs and Rajbanshi 2-26 from 10 overs. Malla and Jha took one wicket each.
Nepal’s decision to strengthen its spin attack also paid off. Malla replaced fast bowler Hemant Dhami, and Nepal’s spinners accounted for nine of Saudi Arabia’s 10 wickets.
The victory was Nepal’s third straight in the tournament after wins over Bahrain and Malaysia, and secured their place in the semi-finals.