KATHMANDU, March 30: Hong Kong has set a target of 215 runs for Nepal in their last match of the ACC Emerging Teams Cup at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh on Thursday.
Invited to bat first after losing the toss, Hong Kong made 214 runs losing all the wickets in the alloted 50 overs. Hong Kong's skipper Anshy Rath topscored with 51 runs including seven fours off 64 balls before being caught by Gyanendra Malla. Similarly, Cameron McAuslan made 43 runs includig five fours in 69 balls while Waqas Khan contributed 30 runs including three fours off 65 balls before being bowled out by Sushan Bhari.
Nepal's skipper Gyanendra Malla took two wickets of Hong Kong conceding 25 runs in seven overs. Likewise, Sushan Bhari and Bhuwan Karki grabbed two wickets each giving away 53 and 37 runs respectively while Sandeep Lamichhane took one wicket including two maiden overs at the cost of 29 runs.
This match will be a matter of prestige for both the fellow associate nations, since both of them have already crashed out from the group stage.
ACC Premier Cup: Hong Kong set 115-run target for Nepal
Both Nepal and Hong Kong have lost their matches to U-23 teams of Test-playing sides -- host Bangladesh and Pakistan in the four-team group and they are yet to open account in the points table.
Despite remaining pointless, Nepal is ahead of Hong Kong in the standings on the basis of net run rate.
However, the match will serve as a warm-up match for Nepal, which are set to vie in the crucial fixtures of the ICC World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) in October.
Hong Kong Squad
Anshuman Rath*, K Christie, Babar Hayat, C Carter†, Ehsan Khan, Ehsan Nawaz, C McAuslan, Mohammad Awais, Nizakat Khan, Shahid Wasif, J Subramanyan, Tanveer Ahmed, Wajid Shah, Waqas Barkat, Waqas Khan
Nepal Squad
G Malla*, Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh, DS Airee, M Alam, B Bhandari†, S Bhari, S Dhamala, B Karki, A Karn, S Lamichhane, D Nath, Sagar Pun, D Shrestha, S Vesawkar
