Nepal Clinches Victory Over Malaysia in ACC Men's Premier Cup Opener

 

Nepal had a remarkable start to their ACC Premier Cup 2023 campaign, defeating Malaysia by six wickets at the TU cricket ground on Tuesday. Kushal Malla and Bhim Sharki were the heroes of the day, scoring half-centuries to secure the win for the Rhinos.

Malaysia Captain Ahmed Faiz and opener Virandeep Singh batted first after winning the toss and brought a century partnership, posting an impressive target of 236 runs for Nepal. However, Nepal's batting lineup proved too strong for Malaysia's bowlers, with Malla and Sharki leading the charge.

Malla, who was named player of the match, remained unbeaten with a 40-ball 70, smashing five boundaries and five sixes to take Nepal to victory. Sharki played a crucial role as well, scoring 71 runs off 98 balls with five boundaries before being caught by Virandeep Singh in the 35th over.

Nepal's captain Rohit Kumar Paudel contributed 42 runs off 43 balls, while opener Kushal Bhurtel scored 38 runs off 31 balls with five boundaries and two sixes. Aasif Sheikh and Dipendra Singh Airee could not make much of an impact, managing only one and five runs respectively off three deliveries each.

Sompal Kami and Sandeep Lamichhane were the stars of Nepal's bowling attack, grabbing three wickets each, while Lalit Rajbanshi also managed to collect two wickets in his 10-over spell.

The ACC Premier Cup 2023 is a qualifying event for the Asia Cup 2023, to be held in Pakistan in September this year. Nepal is in Group 'A' alongside Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia, while Group 'B' consists of the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Singapore, and Bahrain.

The matches will take place at TU Cricket Ground and Mulpani Cricket Ground from April 18 to May 1. Stay tuned for more updates on Nepal's journey in the ACC Premier Cup 2023.